Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Sold by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp cut its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 4.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 107,968 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 4,531 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Natera were worth $11,691,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 6,007.5% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 7,329 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $459,000 after buying an additional 7,209 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 41.8% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,867 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $117,000 after buying an additional 550 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in Natera by 378.0% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 64,679 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $4,051,000 after buying an additional 51,147 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Natera by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,109 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,635,000 after buying an additional 3,178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Natera by 36.1% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 2,089 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $131,000 after buying an additional 554 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

NTRA stock opened at $118.26 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 4.14, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $14.63 billion, a PE ratio of -37.90 and a beta of 1.48. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $36.90 and a 12-month high of $124.83. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $111.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $100.86.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.69) by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $413.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $343.00 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 36.74% and a negative net margin of 21.47%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.97) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -2.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 37,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.10, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Natera news, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 1,057 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.77, for a total transaction of $108,627.89. Following the sale, the insider now owns 206,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,211,728. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 37,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 92,388 shares of company stock worth $10,205,064. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on NTRA shares. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Natera in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $142.00 target price on the stock. BTIG Research lifted their target price on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on Natera from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $120.07.

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.