Alliancebernstein L.P. Trims Stock Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Alliancebernstein L.P. cut its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 53.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 768,062 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 893,203 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 0.58% of Natera worth $121,584,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Natera by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,629 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $574,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its position in Natera by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,963 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $470,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Natera by 104.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Natera by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. now owns 998 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $158,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Remove Ads

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 25,931 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $4,277,837.07. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 109,665 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,091,435.05. This represents a 19.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 267,629 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. The trade was a 22.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 325,922 shares of company stock valued at $51,603,664 in the last three months. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Natera Stock Up 3.3 %

Shares of NTRA stock traded up $4.39 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $138.26. 2,129,296 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,380,849. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $83.13 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The stock's 50 day moving average is $156.27 and its 200-day moving average is $151.65. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a market cap of $18.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -78.56 and a beta of 1.80.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The company had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. Analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, February 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.12.

Natera Company 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.