Groupama Asset Managment Has $8.72 Million Stock Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Groupama Asset Managment decreased its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 58.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,998 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 78,602 shares during the quarter. Groupama Asset Managment's holdings in Natera were worth $8,720,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NTRA. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Natera in the third quarter worth $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $573,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 50.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 657 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Natera by 87.3% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 67,906 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $8,621,000 after buying an additional 31,649 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $2,894,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Natera Trading Down 3.5 %

Shares of NTRA traded down $4.84 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $133.87. The stock had a trading volume of 3,247,142 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,377,854. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $156.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $151.40. The firm has a market cap of $18.10 billion, a P/E ratio of -76.06 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. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $83.13 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.78, for a total value of $563,120.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,704 shares in the company, valued at $1,366,129.12. This represents a 29.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,629 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,150,756.13. This trade represents a 22.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 325,922 shares of company stock valued at $51,603,664. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on NTRA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $178.12.

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.