Barclays PLC Trims Stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Barclays PLC reduced its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 53.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 140,115 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 161,750 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.11% of Natera worth $17,787,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Natera by 59.6% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,218 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $998,000 after acquiring an additional 3,442 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in Natera by 50.6% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 13,622 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 4,575 shares during the period. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,166,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 39.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 517,941 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $56,088,000 after buying an additional 146,670 shares during the period. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. bought a new position in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter worth $550,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, Director Roelof Botha sold 87,473 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.12, for a total transaction of $14,793,433.76. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,224,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,135,977.44. The trade was a 6.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 256 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.07, for a total transaction of $30,737.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 111,891 shares in the company, valued at $13,434,752.37. The trade was a 0.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 137,987 shares of company stock valued at $21,895,591 over the last ninety days. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Natera Stock Up 0.1 %

NASDAQ NTRA traded up $0.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $166.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,211,176 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,330,468. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $57.22 and a fifty-two week high of $175.63. 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 company has a market cap of $21.99 billion, a PE ratio of -94.63 and a beta of 1.63. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $144.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $124.66.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. The company had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. Natera's revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.95) EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on NTRA. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Craig Hallum increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $152.67.

Natera 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.