Next Century Growth Investors LLC Sells 54,758 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Next Century Growth Investors LLC reduced its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 39.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 84,362 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 54,758 shares during the period. Next Century Growth Investors LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Natera worth $13,355,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Natera by 104.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 345.8% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 372.9% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Natera by 1,328.0% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA traded down $1.57 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $150.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 622,153 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,389,906. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $151.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $152.40. The company has a market capitalization of $20.30 billion, a P/E ratio of -85.32 and a beta of 1.80. 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 fifty-two week low of $83.13 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $175.76.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total value of $117,861.51. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 156,044 shares in the company, valued at $27,739,941.88. This represents a 0.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. The trade was a 22.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 325,922 shares of company stock worth $51,603,664. Insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

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.