TD Asset Management Inc Makes New Investment in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

TD Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 11,400 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,235,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Natera in the fourth quarter worth about $83,970,000. Perceptive Advisors LLC grew its stake in Natera by 289.7% in the fourth quarter. Perceptive Advisors LLC now owns 850,225 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $53,258,000 after purchasing an additional 632,047 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Natera by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,971,895 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $687,280,000 after purchasing an additional 588,147 shares in the last quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 295.9% in the first quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC now owns 656,708 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $60,063,000 after purchasing an additional 490,822 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farallon Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Natera by 13.0% during the first quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 3,927,683 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $359,226,000 after buying an additional 452,800 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NTRA has been the subject of several research reports. BTIG Research increased 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. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on shares of Natera from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Friday. TD Cowen upped their price target on Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.07.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $126.51 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 4.14 and a quick ratio of 4.01. The company has a market cap of $15.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -40.55 and a beta of 1.53. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $36.90 and a 1 year high of $128.28. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $112.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.78.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.01, for a total value of $1,452,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 287,441 shares in the company, valued at $34,783,235.41. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.65, for a total transaction of $185,946.90. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 71,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,170,315.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.01, for a total transaction of $1,452,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 287,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,783,235.41. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 92,388 shares of company stock valued at $10,205,064 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

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.