TCW Group Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

TCW Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 16.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 67,237 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 9,724 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Natera worth $4,212,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at about $83,970,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Natera by 115.7% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,654,303 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $73,203,000 after purchasing an additional 887,409 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 52.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,529,496 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $111,930,000 after purchasing an additional 865,404 shares in the last quarter. Avidity Partners Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 107.7% in the 3rd quarter. Avidity Partners Management LP now owns 899,000 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $39,781,000 after purchasing an additional 466,100 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter worth $27,626,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NTRA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James cut shares of Natera from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $68.00 to $85.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Craig Hallum began coverage on Natera in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $117.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Natera from $123.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $98.47.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock traded up $2.00 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $109.51. The company had a trading volume of 652,270 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,231,859. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $36.90 and a 12-month high of $110.09. The company has a market capitalization of $13.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -35.10 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 3.98 and a current ratio of 4.12. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $95.84 and a 200-day moving average of $75.92.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The medical research company reported ($0.56) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.72) by $0.16. The company had revenue of $367.70 million during 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 52.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($1.23) EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -2.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 35,307 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.09, for a total value of $2,651,202.63. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 204,218 shares in the company, valued at $15,334,729.62. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 35,307 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.09, for a total value of $2,651,202.63. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 204,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,334,729.62. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.30, for a total transaction of $108,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 68,582 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,427,430.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 324,628 shares of company stock valued at $29,322,803 over the last ninety days. Company 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.