Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Sold by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. decreased its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 42.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,083 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 1,540 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in Natera were worth $330,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 119,673 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $18,944,000 after buying an additional 17,748 shares during the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,629 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $574,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Guided Capital Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,788,000. Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 18,933 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,997,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,345 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $371,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on NTRA. TD Cowen increased their target price on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. StockNews.com cut Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Craig Hallum raised their price objective on Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $170.94.

Natera Stock Performance

NTRA stock traded down $5.88 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $162.31. The company had a trading volume of 1,604,242 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,342,687. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $21.43 billion, a P/E ratio of -92.22 and a beta of 1.66. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $69.74 and a one year high of $183.00. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $168.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $144.78.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the insider now directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 43,502 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.88, for a total value of $7,694,633.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 70,629 shares in the company, valued at $12,492,857.52. This trade represents a 38.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 295,772 shares of company stock worth $49,741,699. 7.60% of the stock is owned by 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.