Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Sold by Avantax Advisory Services Inc.

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. decreased its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 30.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,635 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 2,469 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in Natera were worth $892,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of NTRA. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 86,144 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $10,936,000 after buying an additional 18,316 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the third quarter worth approximately $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth approximately $573,000. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at $505,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 50.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 657 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,702 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.03, for a total value of $978,693.06. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 203,354 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,695,784.62. This trade represents a 3.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.69, for a total transaction of $590,760.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,704 shares in the company, valued at $1,433,183.76. The trade was a 29.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 306,797 shares of company stock worth $48,940,883 over the last three months. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

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Natera Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $2.68 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $153.83. 1,051,070 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,338,097. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $83.13 and a 1 year high of $183.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $161.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $150.01. The firm has a market cap of $20.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -87.40 and a beta of 1.80.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NTRA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $178.12.

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.