First Light Asset Management LLC Trims Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

First Light Asset Management LLC lowered its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 43.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 369,068 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 287,640 shares during the quarter. Natera accounts for approximately 3.5% of First Light Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. First Light Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.30% of Natera worth $39,966,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Natera by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,044,743 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,010,152,000 after acquiring an additional 72,848 shares during the period. Farallon Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 13.6% during the 2nd quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 4,460,557 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $483,034,000 after buying an additional 532,874 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Natera by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,397,582 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $259,634,000 after buying an additional 148,917 shares during the last quarter. Avidity Partners Management LP raised its position in shares of Natera by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Avidity Partners Management LP now owns 1,110,000 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $69,530,000 after acquiring an additional 211,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 13.9% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 983,312 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $106,483,000 after acquiring an additional 119,906 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 37,500 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.10, for a total value of $4,053,750.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 213,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,063,243.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.57, for a total value of $344,439.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 284,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,324,409.37. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 37,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.10, for a total value of $4,053,750.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 213,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,063,243.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 93,921 shares of company stock worth $10,551,281. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Down 3.3 %

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $123.54 on Tuesday. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $36.90 and a 52-week high of $132.01. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $105.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a current ratio of 4.14. The company has a market capitalization of $15.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.60 and a beta of 1.53.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.39. Natera had a negative return on equity of 36.74% and a negative net margin of 21.47%. The company had revenue of $413.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $343.00 million. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.97) earnings per share. Natera’s revenue was up 58.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Natera from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. BTIG Research raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $142.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $120.07.

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.