First Light Asset Management LLC Has $39.97 Million Stock Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

First Light Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 43.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 369,068 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 287,640 shares during the quarter. Natera comprises 3.5% of First Light Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. First Light Asset Management LLC owned about 0.30% of Natera worth $39,966,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Natera during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Natera in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Natera in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Tobam acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $74,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other Natera news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.57, for a total transaction of $344,439.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 284,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,324,409.37. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 37,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.10, for a total transaction of $4,053,750.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 213,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,063,243.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.57, for a total value of $344,439.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 284,741 shares of the company's stock, valued at $36,324,409.37. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 93,921 shares of company stock valued at $10,551,281 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Natera Trading Down 0.4 %

NASDAQ NTRA traded down $0.46 on Tuesday, hitting $123.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,052,267 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,364,204. The firm has a market cap of $15.11 billion, a PE ratio of -39.45 and a beta of 1.53. The company's 50-day moving average is $114.84 and its 200 day moving average is $106.00. The company has a quick ratio of 4.01, a current ratio of 4.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $36.90 and a 1-year high of $132.01.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on NTRA shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. BTIG Research raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on Natera from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $142.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $120.07.

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.