Headlands Technologies LLC Invests $322,000 in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 2,976 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $322,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera by 1,073.1% during the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 65,730 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $7,118,000 after purchasing an additional 60,127 shares during the last quarter. Thematics Asset Management raised its stake in Natera by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Thematics Asset Management now owns 90,232 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $5,652,000 after acquiring an additional 2,738 shares in the last quarter. Crestline Management LP raised its stake in Natera by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. Crestline Management LP now owns 65,070 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $4,076,000 after acquiring an additional 8,997 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in Natera by 15.1% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 74,460 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $6,810,000 after acquiring an additional 9,781 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Natera by 6,007.5% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 7,329 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $459,000 after acquiring an additional 7,209 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 37,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.10, for a total value of $4,053,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 213,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,063,243.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 37,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.10, for a total value of $4,053,750.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 213,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,063,243.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.01, for a total value of $1,452,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 287,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,783,235.41. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 92,388 shares of company stock valued at $10,205,064. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on NTRA. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. BTIG Research lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $142.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $120.07.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $126.51 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 4.14, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The business’s 50 day moving average is $112.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $103.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -40.55 and a beta of 1.53. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $36.90 and a 12-month high of $128.28.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.69) by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $413.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $343.00 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 36.74% and a negative net margin of 21.47%. Natera’s revenue was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.97) earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.96 EPS for the current year.

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.