Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 14.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 549,871 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 69,129 shares during the quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $87,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Natera by 104.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Natera by 345.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Natera by 34.3% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Natera by 32.7% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 430 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $170.73 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.03 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $167.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.15. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. Natera’s revenue was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.95) EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on NTRA. StockNews.com cut shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Craig Hallum lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Leerink Partners lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.88.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total value of $117,861.51. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 156,044 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,739,941.88. The trade was a 0.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 9,682 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.98, for a total transaction of $1,548,926.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 9,704 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,552,445.92. This trade represents a 49.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 305,454 shares of company stock worth $51,290,625. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

About Natera

Natera, Inc, a diagnostics company, develops and commercializes molecular testing services worldwide. Its products include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities of a fetus, as well as in twin pregnancies; Horizon carrier screening test for individuals and couples determine if they are carriers of genetic variations that cause certain genetic conditions; Vistara single-gene NIPT screens for 25 single-gene disorders that cause severe skeletal, cardiac, and neurological conditions; Spectrum, preimplantation genetic tests for couples undergoing IVF; Anora that analyzes miscarriage tissue from women; Empower, a hereditary cancer screening test; and non-invasive prenatal paternity product, which allows a couple to establish paternity without waiting for the child to be born.