Perceptive Advisors LLC Has $57.39 Million Stock Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Perceptive Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 30.0% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 530,000 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 227,225 shares during the quarter. Natera accounts for about 1.4% of Perceptive Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Perceptive Advisors LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $57,394,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Natera by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,971,895 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $687,280,000 after purchasing an additional 588,147 shares during the last quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 13.6% during the second quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 4,460,557 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $483,034,000 after buying an additional 532,874 shares during the last quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 295.9% in the first quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC now owns 656,708 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $60,063,000 after buying an additional 490,822 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Natera by 257.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 651,523 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $70,553,000 after buying an additional 469,327 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. acquired a new stake in Natera during the first quarter worth about $33,938,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $125.72 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.44 billion, a P/E ratio of -40.29 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a current ratio of 4.14, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $36.90 and a 1 year high of $132.01. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $115.98 and a 200-day moving average of $106.75.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued 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 during 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.97) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,496 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.66, for a total value of $613,683.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 207,855 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,209,089.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 549 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.16, for a total transaction of $57,732.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 113,637 shares in the company, valued at $11,950,066.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,496 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.66, for a total value of $613,683.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,855 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,209,089.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 48,738 shares of company stock worth $5,663,574 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on NTRA shares. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on Natera from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Natera in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $142.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, September 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.07.

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.