Thematics Asset Management Sells 15,221 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Thematics Asset Management cut its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 23.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 49,333 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 15,221 shares during the period. Thematics Asset Management's holdings in Natera were worth $7,809,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 345.8% in 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 in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 372.9% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. increased 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 acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in 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 worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Trading Up 4.0 %

Shares of NTRA stock traded up $5.92 on Thursday, hitting $154.48. 792,607 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,377,938. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -87.77 and a beta of 1.80. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $148.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $153.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $87.20 and a one year high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.91 million. Equities analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 13,685 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.87, for a total value of $2,269,930.95. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 253,944 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,121,691.28. This trade represents a 5.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 946 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 199,194 shares of company stock valued at $30,646,524. Insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTRA has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Natera from $200.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on Natera in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $175.76.

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.