Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 21.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 31,175 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 8,390 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in Natera were worth $4,935,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in 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 buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,629 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $574,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its holdings in Natera by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,963 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Natera by 104.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Natera by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. now owns 998 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $158,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Trading Down 1.4 %

NTRA stock traded down $2.09 during trading on Friday, reaching $148.08. 602,609 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,389,544. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.02 billion, a PE ratio of -84.14 and a beta of 1.80. 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 business's 50 day moving average price is $150.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $152.53. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NTRA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on Natera in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Natera from $200.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. 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 report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $175.76.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total value of $117,861.51. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 156,044 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,739,941.88. This trade represents a 0.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 25,931 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $4,277,837.07. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 109,665 shares in the company, valued at $18,091,435.05. This represents a 19.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 325,922 shares of company stock worth $51,603,664 over the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.