Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Purchases 85,236 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 3.6% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,482,818 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 85,236 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Natera were worth $315,194,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. King Luther Capital Management Corp boosted its position in shares of Natera by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 30,036 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,813,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Natera by 17.6% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,778 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $607,000 after buying an additional 714 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at $9,157,000. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 771,962 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $98,001,000 after acquiring an additional 15,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commerce Bank bought a new position in Natera during the third quarter worth $286,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $169.20 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.34 billion, a P/E ratio of -96.14 and a beta of 1.53. The company’s 50-day moving average is $129.84 and its 200 day moving average is $117.00. 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 fifty-two week low of $53.62 and a fifty-two week high of $171.95.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The company’s revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.95) EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,614 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.68, for a total value of $333,755.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,969 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,017,481.92. The trade was a 24.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 9,682 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.98, for a total value of $1,548,926.36. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,704 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,552,445.92. This represents a 49.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 46,503 shares of company stock valued at $6,325,804 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BTIG Research upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com lowered Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Leerink Partners boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.59.

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.