Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Acquires 4,190 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 61,565 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,190 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Natera were worth $25,445,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Lido Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Natera by 13.2% in the third quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 3,627 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,499,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Natera during the third quarter valued at approximately $229,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP bought a new position in Natera in the third quarter valued at approximately $93,000. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Natera by 0.4% in the third quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 11,442 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,729,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ethic Inc. increased its position in shares of Natera by 30.3% during the 3rd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 1,835 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $759,000 after purchasing an additional 427 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Brophy sold 470 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.49, for a total transaction of $184,000.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 45,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,922,020.71. This trade represents a 1.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider John Fesko sold 302 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.01, for a total transaction of $120,803.02. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 195,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $78,112,352.76. This trade represents a 0.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 47,056 shares of company stock worth $17,760,989 in the last quarter. Insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on NTRA shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Natera from $355.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Natera from $460.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 6th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $290.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Natera from $340.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Roth Capital initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $475.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $394.31.

Natera News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Natera this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue rose 34.1% to about $794 million, beating estimates, and Natera raised its 2026 sales outlook as test volumes—particularly oncology testing—accelerated. NTRA Q3 Loss Wider Than Expected, Revenues Beat, ’26 Sales View Up
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted a long-term goal of $6 billion in revenue by 2029, supported by Signatera growth, broader reimbursement and continued investment. Natera Q3 Earnings Call Highlights $6B Target & Raised 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Natera is collaborating with Incyte on a Phase 2 colorectal cancer trial, which could support its oncology testing business, though the commercial impact will depend on trial results and adoption. Natera Launching Collaboration With Incyte for Phase 2 Trial to Treat Colorectal Cancer
• Neutral Sentiment: A report listed short interest at zero shares as of November 10, a figure that does not indicate meaningful short positioning; the report’s description of a significant increase appears inconsistent with that number.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the revenue beat, Natera’s quarterly loss of $0.42 per share was wider than the $0.28 loss analysts expected, highlighting ongoing profitability concerns. NTRA Q3 Loss Wider Than Expected, Revenues Beat, ’26 Sales View Up
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cut price targets, including Robert W. Baird’s reduction to $403 from $458, while maintaining an Outperform rating. JPMorgan also reportedly lowered its target, adding a cautious note despite the improved outlook. Robert W. Baird Stock Recommendations Natera Stock Gets Price Target Cut from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Natera Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $311.98 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $379.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $270.42. The company has a market cap of $45.24 billion, a PE ratio of -273.67 and a beta of 1.55. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $181.00 and a twelve month high of $437.41.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The medical research company reported ($0.42) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.28) by ($0.14). Natera had a negative net margin of 5.66% and a negative return on equity of 8.61%. The business had revenue of $793.98 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $707.54 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.64) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 34.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.20 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Natera

Natera, Inc. is a diagnostics company that develops and provides genetic testing and molecular diagnostics for reproductive health, oncology and organ health. Its tests analyze cell-free DNA and other genetic material to support screening, diagnosis and disease monitoring. In reproductive health, Natera offers Panorama, a noninvasive prenatal screening test, and Horizon, a carrier screening test. Its oncology portfolio includes Signatera, a personalized circulating tumor DNA test used to monitor for molecular residual disease and assess cancer recurrence.