Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Sold by Artemis Investment Management LLP

Artemis Investment Management LLP reduced its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 51.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 129,027 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 135,994 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP owned 0.10% of Natera worth $20,425,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Natera by 345.8% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Natera in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quarry LP raised 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 purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its position in Natera by 34.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Natera by 32.7% during 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. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total transaction of $106,772.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 114,142 shares in the company, valued at $18,217,063.20. The trade was a 0.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 2,212 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.53, for a total transaction of $350,668.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 19,386 shares in the company, valued at $3,073,262.58. The trade was a 10.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 121,092 shares of company stock worth $19,765,830 over the last three months. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Natera Trading Down 6.0 %

NTRA stock traded down $10.14 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $158.36. 2,384,566 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 982,752. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $62.96 and a 12-month high of $183.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.91 billion, a P/E ratio of -89.98 and a beta of 1.65. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $164.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.44. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. The company had revenue of $439.80 million for 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 firm's revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.95) earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Craig Hallum boosted their target price on Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $160.63.

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.