Van ECK Associates Corp Sells 6,043 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Van ECK Associates Corp lessened its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 5.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 101,925 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 6,043 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 0.08% of Natera worth $12,093,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 261.2% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 18,124 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,301,000 after buying an additional 13,106 shares in the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the third quarter worth about $453,000. Interchange Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the third quarter worth about $222,000. Stephens Inc. AR acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter worth about $258,000. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera by 53.7% during the 3rd quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,469 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $771,000 after purchasing an additional 2,260 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of Natera stock traded up $2.58 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $126.97. 1,149,799 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,308,360. 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 twelve month low of $40.61 and a twelve month high of $133.54. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $123.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.06.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $413.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $343.00 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 36.74% and a negative net margin of 21.47%. The company's revenue was up 58.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.97) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on NTRA shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Natera from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, September 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. TD Cowen upped their price target 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 target on Natera from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.69.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.45, for a total value of $235,955.70. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 68,851 shares in the company, valued at $8,706,208.95. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.45, for a total transaction of $235,955.70. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 68,851 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,706,208.95. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.82, for a total value of $307,314.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 299,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,082,374.62. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 50,164 shares of company stock worth $6,157,291. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

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.