Bamco Inc. NY Sells 6,000 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Bamco Inc. NY trimmed its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 14.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 35,000 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 6,000 shares during the quarter. Bamco Inc. NY's holdings in Natera were worth $4,443,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Farallon Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 13.6% during the 2nd quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 4,460,557 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $483,034,000 after acquiring an additional 532,874 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 257.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 651,523 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $70,553,000 after acquiring an additional 469,327 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Natera by 53.6% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 958,383 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $103,783,000 after acquiring an additional 334,630 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Natera by 311.9% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 406,653 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $44,036,000 after acquiring an additional 307,920 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Natera by 36.1% during the 2nd quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 1,145,362 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $124,031,000 after purchasing an additional 303,905 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA traded up $4.83 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $174.00. 1,039,899 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,340,584. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $137.36 and a 200-day moving average of $121.28. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $55.56 and a one year high of $174.15. The firm has a market cap of $22.97 billion, a P/E ratio of -96.12 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. The company had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. Natera's revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.95) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 256 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.07, for a total transaction of $30,737.92. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 111,891 shares in the company, valued at $13,434,752.37. This trade represents a 0.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.57, for a total transaction of $344,439.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 284,741 shares in the company, valued at $36,324,409.37. The trade was a 0.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 133,976 shares of company stock worth $21,119,238. Insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on NTRA. StockNews.com cut Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Natera has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $140.59.

About Natera

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.