Sterling Capital Management LLC Increases Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 608.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,647 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,580 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC's holdings in Natera were worth $2,319,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 104.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 372.9% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in Natera by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 332 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Stock Down 1.4 %

Natera stock traded down $2.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $148.08. The company had a trading volume of 602,609 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,389,544. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $83.13 and a 1 year high of $183.00. The business has a fifty day moving average of $150.68 and a 200 day moving average of $152.53. The stock has a market cap of $20.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -84.14 and a beta of 1.80.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The company had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.91 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 25,931 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company's stock, valued at $18,091,435.05. This trade represents a 19.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,629 shares in the company, valued at $44,150,756.13. This represents a 22.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 325,922 shares of company stock worth $51,603,664 over the last 90 days. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on NTRA. StockNews.com raised shares of Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera presently has a consensus 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.