Jennison Associates LLC Invests $13.33 Million in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 212,811 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,330,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of NTRA. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in Natera by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 18,800 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,178,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 41.8% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,867 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. abrdn plc bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter worth about $3,214,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group increased its position in shares of Natera by 109.3% during the 4th quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 745 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 389 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in Natera by 15.7% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 23,844 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,494,000 after purchasing an additional 3,228 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NTRA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $70.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Natera from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $120.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, April 5th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. Raymond James lowered shares of Natera from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $68.00 to $85.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Craig Hallum initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $117.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 447 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.22, for a total value of $40,328.34. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 347,731 shares in the company, valued at $31,372,290.82. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,816 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.13, for a total transaction of $634,774.08. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 227,710 shares in the company, valued at $21,206,632.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 447 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.22, for a total transaction of $40,328.34. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 347,731 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,372,290.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 453,644 shares of company stock valued at $36,594,940. Corporate insiders own 9.42% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Performance

NTRA opened at $91.28 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $36.90 and a 1-year high of $98.82. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $87.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 3.96 and a current ratio of 4.10.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.73) by $0.09. Natera had a negative net margin of 40.16% and a negative return on equity of 62.19%. The company had revenue of $311.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.38 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -2.35 earnings per share for the current year.

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.