American Century Companies Inc. Has $151.38 Million Stock Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

American Century Companies Inc. lowered its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 23.5% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,397,912 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 429,691 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Natera were worth $151,380,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,044,743 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,010,152,000 after purchasing an additional 72,848 shares in the last quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 13.0% during the 1st quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 3,927,683 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $359,226,000 after purchasing an additional 452,800 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter worth approximately $83,970,000. Avidity Partners Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. Avidity Partners Management LP now owns 1,110,000 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $69,530,000 after purchasing an additional 211,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 997,909 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $62,509,000 after purchasing an additional 68,480 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $125.12 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.37 billion, a PE ratio of -40.10 and a beta of 1.53. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $36.90 and a 12-month high of $125.44. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $112.18 and its 200-day moving average is $103.27. The company has a quick ratio of 4.01, a current ratio of 4.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.39. Natera had a negative net margin of 21.47% and a negative return on equity of 36.74%. The business had revenue of $413.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $343.00 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.97) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 58.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -2.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Natera from $120.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on Natera from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $120.07.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,105 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.61, for a total value of $681,379.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 213,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,812,105.11. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 549 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.16, for a total transaction of $57,732.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 113,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,950,066.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,105 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.61, for a total value of $681,379.05. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 213,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,812,105.11. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 92,388 shares of company stock valued at $10,205,064. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.