Bank of Montreal Can Sells 47,543 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Bank of Montreal Can trimmed its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 63.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 26,985 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 47,543 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in Natera were worth $4,272,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Natera by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,316,470 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,949,697,000 after acquiring an additional 879,463 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Natera by 43.7% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,701,425 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,060,836,000 after purchasing an additional 2,036,396 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Natera by 15.7% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,240,041 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $512,898,000 after purchasing an additional 439,778 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,232,681 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $355,809,000 after buying an additional 142,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,538,875 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $243,604,000 after buying an additional 439,540 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on NTRA shares. Guggenheim boosted their target price 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. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $175.76.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.78, for a total value of $563,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,704 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,366,129.12. This trade represents a 29.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total transaction of $117,861.51. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 156,044 shares in the company, valued at $27,739,941.88. The trade was a 0.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 325,922 shares of company stock worth $51,603,664. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Up 0.3 %

Natera stock opened at $148.45 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $20.07 billion, a P/E ratio of -84.35 and a beta of 1.80. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $152.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $152.40. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $83.13 and a twelve month high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.01. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The business had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.91 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

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.