Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Acquired by Wells Fargo & Company MN

Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 69.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 96,136 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 39,340 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN owned approximately 0.07% of Natera worth $15,218,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter valued at about $573,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 50.3% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 657 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Natera during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,894,000. Finally, SYM FINANCIAL Corp purchased a new stake in Natera in the fourth quarter worth approximately $256,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,629 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. This represents a 22.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.69, for a total transaction of $590,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 9,704 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,433,183.76. This trade represents a 29.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 325,922 shares of company stock valued at $51,603,664. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA stock traded down $2.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $148.08. The stock had a trading volume of 602,609 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,389,544. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $83.13 and a 1-year high of $183.00. The firm has a market cap of $20.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -84.14 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. The business's fifty day moving average is $150.68 and its 200-day moving average is $152.53.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. On average, research analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on NTRA shares. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Natera from $200.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Natera presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $175.76.

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.