Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Sold by Portolan Capital Management LLC

Portolan Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 53.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,594 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 45,086 shares during the quarter. Portolan Capital Management LLC's holdings in Natera were worth $6,109,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 104.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Natera by 345.8% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 372.9% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 1,328.0% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Trading Down 1.4 %

Natera stock traded down $2.09 during trading on Friday, reaching $148.08. 602,609 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,389,544. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $150.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $152.53. The company has a market capitalization of $20.02 billion, a P/E ratio of -84.14 and a beta of 1.80. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $83.13 and a 52-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 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 company had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.69, for a total transaction of $590,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,704 shares in the company, valued at $1,433,183.76. The trade was a 29.19 % 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, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the sale, 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 325,922 shares of company stock valued at $51,603,664. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, February 28th. One investment 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.com, Natera presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $175.76.

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.