Banque Pictet & Cie SA Decreases Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Banque Pictet & Cie SA lowered its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 10.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,180 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 3,487 shares during the period. Banque Pictet & Cie SA's holdings in Natera were worth $4,936,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Natera by 205.4% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,800,263 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $355,493,000 after acquiring an additional 1,883,481 shares in the last quarter. PointState Capital LP grew its position in Natera by 112.0% in the 3rd quarter. PointState Capital LP now owns 782,538 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $99,343,000 after purchasing an additional 413,468 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Natera by 42.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,099,335 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $144,958,000 after purchasing an additional 328,375 shares during the period. ARK Investment Management LLC grew its position in Natera by 65.6% in the 3rd quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 687,703 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $87,304,000 after purchasing an additional 272,361 shares during the period. Finally, Maverick Capital Ltd. grew its position in Natera by 25.2% in the 3rd quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 1,340,045 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $170,119,000 after purchasing an additional 269,706 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 43,502 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.88, for a total transaction of $7,694,633.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 70,629 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,492,857.52. This trade represents a 38.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total value 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. This represents a 0.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 295,772 shares of company stock worth $49,741,699 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on NTRA. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $165.88.

Natera Trading Down 2.3 %

NASDAQ:NTRA traded down $4.01 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $169.38. 1,174,772 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,327,340. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -96.24 and a beta of 1.66. The firm's 50 day moving average is $167.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.93. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.03 and a 52 week high of $183.00.

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.