Cresset Asset Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Cresset Asset Management LLC reduced its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 43.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,867 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 2,220 shares during the period. Cresset Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $454,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 97 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera by 372.9% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 261 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Natera by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera by 55.0% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 434 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Price Performance

NTRA opened at $149.40 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $20.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -84.89 and a beta of 1.79. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $92.14 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $148.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $156.31. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.50) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.59) by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $501.83 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.68 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. Natera’s quarterly revenue was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.56) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on NTRA shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Natera from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $182.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 792 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.04, for a total value of $115,663.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 71,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,495,748.76. This represents a 1.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total transaction of $12,514,804.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 203,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,160,963.60. This trade represents a 30.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 152,436 shares of company stock worth $22,019,079 over the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is 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.