3,190 Shares in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Bought by Kennedy Capital Management LLC

Kennedy Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,190 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $292,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group grew its stake in shares of Natera by 109.3% during the fourth quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 745 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 389 shares in the last quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI grew its stake in shares of Natera by 47.8% during the first quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 538 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera by 41.8% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,867 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $117,000 after acquiring an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,779 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.08, for a total transaction of $725,895.32. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 219,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,499,348.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.59, for a total transaction of $3,137,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 204,495 shares in the company, valued at $21,388,132.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,779 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.08, for a total transaction of $725,895.32. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 219,456 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,499,348.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 118,387 shares of company stock valued at $12,684,836. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $103.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 4.12 and a quick ratio of 3.98. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $108.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.32. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $36.90 and a 52-week high of $117.23.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The medical research company reported ($0.56) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.72) by $0.16. The company had revenue of $367.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $316.31 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 49.72% and a negative net margin of 30.24%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 52.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($1.23) earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -2.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NTRA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Natera from $99.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Natera from $123.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Natera in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $142.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Natera from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on Natera from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $101.19.

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.