Natera Bounces 0.32% on 37% Volume Surge as Stock Ranks 471st Amid Mixed Institutional Moves and Analyst Outlooks

Natera (NTRA) traded with a 0.32% gain on August 20, 2025, with a trading volume of $0.22 billion, a 37% increase from the previous day. The stock ranked 471st in trading activity among listed equities, reflecting mixed institutional investor activity and analyst sentiment.

Institutional ownership dynamics showed a mix of activity in the first half of 2025. American Century Companies Inc. reduced its stake by 26.9% in Q1, while Mariner LLC and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased holdings by 7.0% and 14.3% respectively in Q4. NewEdge Advisors LLC more than doubled its position during the same period. Corporate insiders also sold shares, including Gail Boxer Marcus, who reduced her holdings by 34.62% in July. Institutional investors now hold 99.90% of the stock, with hedge funds maintaining a significant presence.

Analyst coverage highlighted divergent perspectives. Piper Sandler raised its price target to $220 in early August, while Wall Street Zen downgraded to "sell" in May. The stock currently carries a "Moderate Buy" consensus rating with a $193.19 average target. Recent earnings results showed a $0.74 loss per share for Q2, exceeding negative analyst estimates, though revenue surged 32.2% year-over-year to $546.6 million.

Backtested data for a strategy buying the top 500 volume stocks and holding for one day from 2022 to 2025 showed a 31.52% total return over 365 days. The approach yielded a 0.98% average daily return, with best and worst monthly performances of 7.02% in June 2023 and -4.20% in September 2022, underscoring its short-term volatility and momentum-driven nature.