BNP Paribas Financial Markets Decreases Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lessened its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 86.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,076 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 122,447 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Natera were worth $2,422,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Farallon Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 13.6% in the 2nd quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 4,460,557 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $483,034,000 after buying an additional 532,874 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Natera by 257.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 651,523 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $70,553,000 after buying an additional 469,327 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Natera by 53.6% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 958,383 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $103,783,000 after buying an additional 334,630 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Natera by 311.9% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 406,653 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $44,036,000 after buying an additional 307,920 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 36.1% during the 2nd quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 1,145,362 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $124,031,000 after acquiring an additional 303,905 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $2.63 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $171.65. 814,477 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,620,024. The business's fifty day moving average is $140.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $122.43. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $55.56 and a one year high of $175.63. The stock has a market cap of $22.66 billion, a PE ratio of -97.53 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 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. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $361.43 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.95) EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,614 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.68, for a total value of $333,755.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,017,481.92. The trade was a 24.70 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,024 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.48, for a total transaction of $645,483.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 195,686 shares in the company, valued at $25,141,737.28. This trade represents a 2.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 133,976 shares of company stock valued at $21,119,238. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on NTRA shares. StockNews.com lowered Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Natera from $135.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. BTIG Research lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.59.

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.