By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. decreased its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA – Free Report) by 33.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,282 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 1,661 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Natera were worth $520,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Natera by 345.8% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its stake in Natera by 148.4% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 34.3% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 32.7% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 430 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.
Natera Trading Down 1.4 %
Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $165.26 on Tuesday. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $62.96 and a 12-month high of $183.00. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $166.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $136.81. The company has a market capitalization of $21.82 billion, a PE ratio of -93.90 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.
Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.95) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insider Transactions at Natera
In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 267,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. This trade represents a 22.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Roelof Botha sold 87,473 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.12, for a total value of $14,793,433.76. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,224,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,135,977.44. The trade was a 6.67 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 243,546 shares of company stock valued at $40,338,829 in the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Analyst Ratings Changes
NTRA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Craig Hallum raised their price objective on Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on Natera from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. StockNews.com downgraded Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.94.
About Natera
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.
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