Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Holdings Cut by SWS Partners

SWS Partners lowered its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 12.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 51,485 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 7,139 shares during the period. Natera accounts for about 2.5% of SWS Partners’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. SWS Partners’ holdings in Natera were worth $8,150,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NTRA. 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. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,629 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $574,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its position in Natera by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,963 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $470,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Natera by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Natera by 104.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Down 8.0 %

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $143.11 on Tuesday. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $83.13 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $167.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $147.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -81.31 and a beta of 1.66. 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 (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million for 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Craig Hallum upped their target price on Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $172.69.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 1,767 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.24, for a total value of $300,814.08. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,202 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,055,828.48. This trade represents a 22.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 4,858 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.59, for a total value of $809,294.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 114,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,143,190.08. This trade represents a 4.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 208,299 shares of company stock valued at $34,948,265. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.