Proficio Capital Partners LLC Invests $16.11 Million in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 101,787 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $16,113,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC owned 0.08% of Natera at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 104.3% during 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 increased its stake in shares of Natera by 345.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. increased its stake in Natera by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera by 1,328.0% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of Natera by 34.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total transaction of $12,514,804.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 203,354 shares in the company, valued at $29,160,963.60. The trade was a 30.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total value of $106,772.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 114,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,217,063.20. This trade represents a 0.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 298,946 shares of company stock worth $47,803,462 in the last three months. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA traded down $2.97 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $146.28. 1,082,793 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,341,487. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.78 billion, a PE ratio of -83.11 and a beta of 1.80. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $83.13 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $163.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $149.06.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

NTRA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective 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. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $178.12.

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.