Trek Financial LLC Buys New Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Trek Financial LLC purchased a new position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 22,888 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $3,623,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake 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 worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Natera by 372.9% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 1,328.0% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

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Natera Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $3.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $146.46. 472,700 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,389,914. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $83.13 and a 1 year high of $183.00. 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 firm's 50-day simple moving average is $153.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $151.89. The firm has a market cap of $19.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -82.72 and a beta of 1.80.

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, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. The business had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. Equities research analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com raised Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $175.76.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 2,562 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.41, for a total transaction of $354,606.42. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,557 shares in the company, valued at $10,457,844.37. This represents a 3.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total transaction of $117,861.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 156,044 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,739,941.88. This trade represents a 0.42 % 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 in the last three months. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.