Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Increases Stock Holdings in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 25.4% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 46,650 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,450 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Natera were worth $7,881,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the first quarter valued at $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 114.8% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Natera by 83.5% during the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 233 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new stake in Natera in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group bought a new stake in Natera in the second quarter worth about $36,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Natera Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $225.55 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $125.38 and a twelve month high of $229.95. The firm has a market cap of $31.13 billion, a PE ratio of -98.49 and a beta of 1.75. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $185.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $167.31.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.39) by ($0.25). The firm had revenue of $592.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $514.55 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 25.07% and a negative net margin of 14.61%.Natera’s quarterly revenue was up 34.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.26) EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. BTIG Research boosted their target price on Natera from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays upped their price objective on Natera from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Natera from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $220.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.99, for a total transaction of $479,970.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 117,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,808,264.41. This trade represents a 2.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 2,491 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total transaction of $403,666.55. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 69,189 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,212,077.45. The trade was a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 223,336 shares of company stock valued at $42,990,633 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

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.