Polymer Capital Management HK LTD Makes New Investment in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Polymer Capital Management HK LTD acquired a new stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,003 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $317,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter worth approximately $188,000. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 633,663 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $100,309,000 after acquiring an additional 64,750 shares during the last quarter. Atika Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Atika Capital Management LLC now owns 71,700 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $11,350,000 after acquiring an additional 7,700 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth $214,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its position in Natera by 69.3% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 96,136 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $15,218,000 after purchasing an additional 39,340 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTRA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, February 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.12.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $133.87 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $83.13 and a 1-year high of $183.00. The company has a market cap of $18.10 billion, a PE ratio of -76.06 and a beta of 1.80. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $156.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $151.57.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. The company had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $12,514,804.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 203,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,160,963.60. This trade represents a 30.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total value of $117,861.51. Following the transaction, the insider now 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 325,922 shares of company stock worth $51,603,664. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Company 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.