Science & Technology Partners L.P. Takes $25.49 Million Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Science & Technology Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 161,022 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $25,490,000. Natera comprises 7.7% of Science & Technology Partners L.P.'s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Science & Technology Partners L.P. owned 0.12% of Natera as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Blue Trust Inc. increased 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 buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings 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 during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 372.9% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Natera by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera by 1,328.0% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on NTRA shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Natera from $200.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $175.76.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 13,685 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.87, for a total value of $2,269,930.95. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 253,944 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,121,691.28. This represents a 5.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 495 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.74, for a total transaction of $74,616.30. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 76,312 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,503,270.88. The trade was a 0.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 197,301 shares of company stock valued at $30,325,031. Insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NTRA stock traded up $0.90 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $153.89. 377,969 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,378,009. 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 company has a market cap of $20.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -87.43 and a beta of 1.80. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $90.88 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The stock's 50 day moving average is $147.55 and its 200-day moving average is $153.87.

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

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.