Tri Locum Partners LP Sells 114,793 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Tri Locum Partners LP decreased its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 36.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 202,646 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 114,793 shares during the period. Natera accounts for approximately 6.6% of Tri Locum Partners LP's holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Tri Locum Partners LP owned about 0.15% of Natera worth $32,079,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at about $385,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Natera by 42.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,099,335 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $144,958,000 after purchasing an additional 328,375 shares during the period. Exome Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Natera by 20.4% during the 3rd quarter. Exome Asset Management LLC now owns 22,450 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,850,000 after purchasing an additional 3,800 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Natera by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,012,498 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $128,537,000 after purchasing an additional 28,751 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Natera by 345.8% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 5,201 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.87, for a total transaction of $862,689.87. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 135,483 shares in the company, valued at $22,472,565.21. The trade was a 3.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 343 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.55, for a total transaction of $49,923.65. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 156,946 shares in the company, valued at $22,843,490.30. This represents a 0.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 197,301 shares of company stock worth $30,325,031 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on NTRA. Guggenheim upped their price target on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on Natera in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $175.76.

Natera Stock Up 1.2 %

NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $1.90 on Tuesday, hitting $154.89. 931,651 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,379,531. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $147.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $153.88. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $92.01 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The company has a market cap of $20.94 billion, a P/E ratio of -88.01 and a beta of 1.80.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. As a group, analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.