Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Bought by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,001 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $1,741,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NTRA. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Natera during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 148.4% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Natera by 345.8% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 34.3% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Natera by 32.7% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 430 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 1,709 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.76, for a total value of $206,378.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 194,615 shares in the company, valued at $23,501,707.40. This represents a 0.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total value of $106,772.40. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 114,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,217,063.20. The trade was a 0.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 123,409 shares of company stock valued at $20,045,631. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Leerink Partners upped their price objective on Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Craig Hallum lifted their target price on Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $158.00.

Natera Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $165.76 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -94.18 and a beta of 1.65. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $59.80 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $161.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $133.26. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. The company had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.95) EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.