Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Sold by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC lessened its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 20.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 111,411 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 28,704 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned about 0.08% of Natera worth $17,635,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MML Investors Services LLC increased its stake in Natera by 34.6% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 4,593 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $583,000 after acquiring an additional 1,180 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Natera by 113.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 7,486 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $950,000 after purchasing an additional 3,973 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $385,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Natera by 42.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,099,335 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $144,958,000 after buying an additional 328,375 shares during the period. Finally, Exome Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Natera by 20.4% in the third quarter. Exome Asset Management LLC now owns 22,450 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $2,850,000 after buying an additional 3,800 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA traded down $1.86 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $152.62. 211,615 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,375,492. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $148.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $153.19. 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 market cap of $20.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -86.50 and a beta of 1.80. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.20 and a 12-month high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.01. The business had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. Research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.69, for a total transaction of $590,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,704 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,433,183.76. The trade was a 29.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total transaction of $12,514,804.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 203,354 shares in the company, valued at $29,160,963.60. This represents a 30.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 198,743 shares of company stock worth $30,558,447. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NTRA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $175.76.

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.