First Light Asset Management LLC Trims Stock Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

First Light Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 49.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 93,088 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 91,851 shares during the quarter. Natera accounts for 1.4% of First Light Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. First Light Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Natera worth $14,736,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Natera by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,316,470 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,949,697,000 after buying an additional 879,463 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of Natera by 134.9% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,742,428 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,067,327,000 after purchasing an additional 3,871,862 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Natera by 43.7% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,701,425 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,060,836,000 after purchasing an additional 2,036,396 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Natera by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,240,041 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $512,898,000 after purchasing an additional 439,778 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,232,681 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $355,809,000 after purchasing an additional 142,201 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $153.79 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $20.79 billion, a P/E ratio of -87.38 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The business's 50 day moving average is $147.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.71. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $90.88 and a twelve month high of $183.00.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on NTRA shares. Barclays decreased their target price on Natera from $200.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price target for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $175.76.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 5,201 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.87, for a total value of $862,689.87. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 135,483 shares in the company, valued at $22,472,565.21. The trade was a 3.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total transaction of $117,861.51. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 156,044 shares in the company, valued at $27,739,941.88. This represents a 0.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 197,301 shares of company stock worth $30,325,031. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

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.

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