Bank of America Corp DE Reduces Stock Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Bank of America Corp DE decreased its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 519,581 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 27,190 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE owned approximately 0.39% of Natera worth $82,250,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 104.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Natera by 372.9% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 261 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in Natera by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in Natera by 1,328.0% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in Natera by 55.0% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 434 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of Natera stock traded up $3.19 during trading on Friday, hitting $152.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 911,043 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,388,327. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $156.71. The company has a market capitalization of $20.84 billion, a PE ratio of -86.70 and a beta of 1.79. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $92.14 and a 52 week high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.50) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.59) by $0.09. The company had revenue of $501.83 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.68 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. Natera's quarterly revenue was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.56) EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on NTRA shares. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Natera from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price target for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $182.12.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 343 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.55, for a total transaction of $49,923.65. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 156,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,843,490.30. This represents a 0.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 2,562 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.41, for a total transaction of $354,606.42. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,557 shares in the company, valued at $10,457,844.37. This trade represents a 3.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 152,436 shares of company stock valued at $22,019,079. 7.60% of the stock is 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.