Rockingstone Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 16,326 Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Rockingstone Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 16,326 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $2,584,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 37.9% during the 3rd quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,302 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $5,243,000 after purchasing an additional 11,362 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 27.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 86,144 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $10,936,000 after buying an additional 18,316 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Natera in the third quarter worth about $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth $573,000. Finally, Jag Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Natera by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 175,590 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $22,291,000 after acquiring an additional 14,159 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Natera Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA traded down $1.85 during trading on Thursday, reaching $168.50. The stock had a trading volume of 906,591 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,255,639. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $163.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $133.77. 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 cap of $22.25 billion, a P/E ratio of -95.74 and a beta of 1.65. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $62.96 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $361.43 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.95) earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 1,767 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.24, for a total transaction of $300,814.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,202 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,055,828.48. This trade represents a 22.17 % 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, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 608 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.76, for a total transaction of $73,422.08. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 74,014 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,937,930.64. The trade was a 0.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 123,409 shares of company stock valued at $20,045,631. Insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Leerink Partners increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $158.00.

Natera 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.