Vident Advisory LLC Acquires 244 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Vident Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,060 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $1,118,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 50.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 657 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $104,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the period. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,894,000. SYM FINANCIAL Corp bought a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter worth approximately $256,000. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in Natera by 753.8% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 27,551 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $4,361,000 after acquiring an additional 24,324 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 332 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total transaction of $12,514,804.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 203,354 shares in the company, valued at $29,160,963.60. This represents a 30.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 343 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.55, for a total transaction of $49,923.65. Following the sale, the insider now owns 156,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,843,490.30. This represents a 0.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 152,436 shares of company stock valued at $22,019,079. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of Natera stock opened at $153.32 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $92.14 and a 52-week high of $183.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -87.11 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a fifty day moving average of $149.39 and a 200-day moving average of $157.51. 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 (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.50) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.59) by $0.09. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The company had revenue of $501.83 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $446.68 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.56) EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 17th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $182.12.

Natera 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.