3,949 Shares in Natera, Inc. $NTRA Acquired by Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV bought a new position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 3,949 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $905,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new position in Natera during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in Natera by 95.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 225 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Natera during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Natera during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Hilltop National Bank grew its stake in Natera by 59.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 310 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Price Performance

Natera stock opened at $209.27 on Wednesday. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $130.29 and a 1-year high of $256.36. The stock has a market cap of $29.66 billion, a PE ratio of -136.78 and a beta of 1.68. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $205.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $210.02.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by $0.81. The company had revenue of $665.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $600.68 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 9.03% and a negative return on equity of 15.28%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.41) earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 85,299 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.72, for a total value of $19,680,185.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 127,881 shares in the company, valued at $29,504,704.32. This represents a 40.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider John Fesko sold 17,806 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.74, for a total transaction of $4,179,780.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 177,591 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,687,711.34. This represents a 9.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 314,545 shares of company stock valued at $73,141,185. Company insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on NTRA shares. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Natera from $265.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Natera from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.47.

About Natera

Natera is a global diagnostics company that develops and commercializes cell-free DNA and other genetic testing technologies for clinical applications. The company focuses on three principal areas: reproductive health (including non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening), oncology (tumor-informed assays for minimal residual disease and recurrence monitoring), and organ transplantation (cell-free DNA tests to detect allograft injury). Natera combines laboratory testing, proprietary bioinformatics, and clinical reporting to deliver personalized genetic information to clinicians and patients.

Key product offerings include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and select single-gene conditions; Horizon carrier screening for inherited conditions; Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay used for detecting minimal residual disease and monitoring treatment response in cancer patients; and Prospera, a donor-derived cell-free DNA test used to assess the risk of organ rejection.