Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Sold by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP decreased its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 572,637 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 84,670 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.43% of Natera worth $90,648,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the third quarter valued at approximately $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter worth $573,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,894,000. Finally, SYM FINANCIAL Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $256,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NTRA has been the topic of several analyst reports. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, February 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, 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 note on Wednesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.78, for a total transaction of $563,120.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,704 shares in the company, valued at $1,366,129.12. This represents a 29.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 267,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. The trade was a 22.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 325,922 shares of company stock worth $51,603,664. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Natera Stock Performance

Natera stock opened at $148.08 on Monday. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $85.10 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The company has a market capitalization of $20.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -84.14 and a beta of 1.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $150.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $153.01. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. On average, analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.