Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Reduces Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 77.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 812,941 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 2,815,811 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s holdings in Natera were worth $50,923,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth approximately $83,970,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Natera by 115.7% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,654,303 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $73,203,000 after acquiring an additional 887,409 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Natera by 52.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,529,496 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $111,930,000 after acquiring an additional 865,404 shares during the last quarter. Perceptive Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 289.7% during the fourth quarter. Perceptive Advisors LLC now owns 850,225 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $53,258,000 after purchasing an additional 632,047 shares during the period. Finally, Avidity Partners Management LP grew its stake in shares of Natera by 107.7% in the third quarter. Avidity Partners Management LP now owns 899,000 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $39,781,000 after purchasing an additional 466,100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $107.99 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $101.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $83.33. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $36.90 and a fifty-two week high of $117.23. The company has a market capitalization of $13.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -34.61 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 3.98 and a current ratio of 4.12.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 9th. The medical research company reported ($0.56) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.72) by $0.16. Natera had a negative return on equity of 49.72% and a negative net margin of 30.24%. The company had revenue of $367.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.31 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($1.23) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 52.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -2.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on NTRA shares. Craig Hallum started coverage on Natera in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $117.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Natera from $99.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. One research 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 stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $101.19.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,105 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.61, for a total transaction of $681,379.05. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 213,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,812,105.11. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,105 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.61, for a total value of $681,379.05. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 213,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,812,105.11. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 787 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.38, for a total value of $71,916.06. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 205,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,783,341.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 185,988 shares of company stock valued at $17,799,622 in the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.