Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS Cuts Stock Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS decreased its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 7.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 163,969 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 13,415 shares during the period. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS owned approximately 0.13% of Natera worth $20,816,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NTRA. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 1,073.1% during the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 65,730 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $7,118,000 after acquiring an additional 60,127 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 15.1% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 74,460 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $6,810,000 after purchasing an additional 9,781 shares during the last quarter. Natixis purchased a new position in Natera in the 1st quarter worth about $758,000. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft purchased a new stake in Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at about $478,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Natera in the 1st quarter worth about $707,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 12,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.01, for a total transaction of $1,452,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 287,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,783,235.41. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 608 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.76, for a total value of $73,422.08. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 74,014 shares in the company, valued at $8,937,930.64. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 12,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.01, for a total transaction of $1,452,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 287,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,783,235.41. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,164 shares of company stock worth $6,157,291 over the last 90 days. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Natera Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of NTRA stock traded up $3.42 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $130.39. 850,704 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,306,242. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $40.61 and a fifty-two week high of $133.54. The stock's 50 day moving average is $123.75 and its 200-day moving average is $113.16. The company has a current ratio of 4.14, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market cap of $16.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -51.82 and a beta of 1.53.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.69) by $0.39. The company had revenue of $413.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.00 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 36.74% and a negative net margin of 21.47%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.97) EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com raised Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.69.

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.