Quantessence Capital LLC Invests $728,000 in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Quantessence Capital LLC purchased a new position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 4,599 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $728,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings 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 worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Natera by 345.8% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 372.9% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 261 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 20.7% during 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 position in Natera by 1,328.0% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 343 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.55, for a total transaction of $49,923.65. Following the sale, the insider now owns 156,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,843,490.30. The trade was a 0.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,442 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.87, for a total value of $233,416.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 108,032 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,487,139.84. This represents a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 198,743 shares of company stock valued at $30,558,447. Insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Down 0.4 %

NTRA stock traded down $0.69 during trading on Friday, hitting $153.79. 806,949 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,379,928. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $147.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $153.52. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -87.38 and a beta of 1.80. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.88 and a 52-week high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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, equities research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on NTRA shares. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Guggenheim upped their target price on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com upgraded Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.