Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Acquired by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 17.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 119,673 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,748 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp owned 0.09% of Natera worth $18,944,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Natera by 345.8% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Natera by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter worth about $57,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at about $70,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 43,502 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.88, for a total value of $7,694,633.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 70,629 shares in the company, valued at $12,492,857.52. This trade represents a 38.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 0.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 305,454 shares of company stock worth $51,290,625 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of Natera stock opened at $173.39 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $22.89 billion, a P/E ratio of -98.52 and a beta of 1.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $167.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $68.03 and a one year high of $183.00.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on NTRA. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.88.

Natera Profile

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.