Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stake Cut by Perkins Capital Management Inc.

Perkins Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 6.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,675 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 3,675 shares during the quarter. Natera comprises 7.1% of Perkins Capital Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Perkins Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Natera were worth $8,022,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,316,470 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,949,697,000 after purchasing an additional 879,463 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Natera by 205.4% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,800,263 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $355,493,000 after buying an additional 1,883,481 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 7.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,090,480 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $265,747,000 after buying an additional 143,825 shares during the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. boosted its stake in Natera by 25.2% during the third quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 1,340,045 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $170,119,000 after buying an additional 269,706 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Castle Hook Partners LP grew its holdings in Natera by 27.4% in the 3rd quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 1,140,090 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $144,734,000 after buying an additional 245,505 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price target on the stock. Barclays began coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 792 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.04, for a total value of $115,663.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 71,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,495,748.76. This represents a 1.09 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.29, for a total transaction of $859,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 143,768 shares in the company, valued at $20,600,516.72. This trade represents a 4.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 306,797 shares of company stock worth $48,940,883. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Down 2.9 %

NTRA stock traded down $4.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $143.94. The company had a trading volume of 1,258,459 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,364,577. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $83.13 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The company has a market capitalization of $19.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -81.78 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $159.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $150.72.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $447.91 million. Analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.