Formula Growth Ltd. Decreases Stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Formula Growth Ltd. lowered its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 18.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,006 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 3,800 shares during the period. Formula Growth Ltd.'s holdings in Natera were worth $2,692,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of NTRA. Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in Natera by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,629 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $574,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its position in Natera by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,963 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $470,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Natera by 104.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Natera by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. now owns 998 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $158,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on NTRA. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on Natera in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price target for the company. 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $175.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 9,563 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.41, for a total transaction of $1,323,614.83. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,541 shares in the company, valued at $29,417,799.81. The trade was a 4.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 946 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.98, for a total transaction of $162,693.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 109,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,827,338.52. This represents a 0.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 199,194 shares of company stock valued at $30,646,524. Insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Natera Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of NTRA stock traded up $4.25 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $152.81. 314,939 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,376,185. The stock has a market cap of $20.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -86.82 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.20 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $148.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.00.

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

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.