Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Position Reduced by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC reduced its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 32.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,218 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 5,004 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $1,107,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Natera by 1,073.1% during the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 65,730 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $7,118,000 after acquiring an additional 60,127 shares during the period. Thematics Asset Management grew its position in Natera by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Thematics Asset Management now owns 90,232 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $5,652,000 after purchasing an additional 2,738 shares in the last quarter. Crestline Management LP increased its stake in Natera by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Crestline Management LP now owns 65,070 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,076,000 after buying an additional 8,997 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in Natera by 15.1% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 74,460 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $6,810,000 after buying an additional 9,781 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Natera by 6,007.5% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $129.67 on Tuesday. 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 stock’s 50-day moving average is $112.73 and its 200-day moving average is $104.17. The company has a market cap of $15.92 billion, a P/E ratio of -41.56 and a beta of 1.53. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $36.90 and a 52-week high of $132.01.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $413.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.97) EPS. The company’s revenue was up 58.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com lowered Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. BTIG Research lifted their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $142.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $120.07.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.68, for a total value of $333,755.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,969 shares in the company, valued at $1,017,481.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Natera news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,614 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.68, for a total transaction of $333,755.52. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,969 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,017,481.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.65, for a total value of $185,946.90. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 71,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,170,315.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 86,197 shares of company stock worth $9,561,358 in the last ninety days. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.