King Luther Capital Management Corp Sells 14,560 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

King Luther Capital Management Corp trimmed its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 48.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,476 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 14,560 shares during the quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp's holdings in Natera were worth $2,450,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Natera by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 7,353 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $933,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of Natera by 34.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Natera during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $270,000. Entropy Technologies LP boosted its stake in Natera by 35.9% in the 3rd quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 13,634 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,731,000 after purchasing an additional 3,600 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in Natera by 29.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 671,382 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $85,232,000 after purchasing an additional 153,441 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Natera Price Performance

Natera stock traded down $1.99 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $142.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,025,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,345,255. 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 stock has a market cap of $19.27 billion, a PE ratio of -80.97 and a beta of 1.80. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $83.13 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $164.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $148.25.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The business had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $447.91 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $12,514,804.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 203,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,160,963.60. This represents a 30.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total value of $117,861.51. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 156,044 shares in the company, valued at $27,739,941.88. The trade was a 0.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 294,946 shares of company stock valued at $47,212,702 in the last 90 days. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NTRA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays assumed coverage on Natera in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Thursday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $178.12.

Natera Company 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.