SG Americas Securities LLC Decreases Stock Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

SG Americas Securities LLC trimmed its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 39.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,775 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 3,163 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Natera were worth $756,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Simon Quick Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $246,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter valued at $291,000. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Natera by 12.0% in 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 during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter worth about $552,000. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,020,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of Natera stock traded up $8.05 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $176.27. 1,598,799 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,419,915. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $64.74 and a one year high of $183.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -100.15 and a beta of 1.65. 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $166.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $137.43.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. The business had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The firm's revenue was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.95) earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 946 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.98, for a total value of $162,693.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 109,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,827,338.52. This represents a 0.86 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,728 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.41, for a total value of $692,226.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 185,034 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,090,827.94. This trade represents a 2.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 243,122 shares of company stock valued at $40,336,290. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NTRA. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Barclays began coverage on Natera in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $165.88.

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.