Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Sold by Blue Water Life Science Advisors LP

Blue Water Life Science Advisors LP lowered its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 12.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 254,794 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 36,300 shares during the period. Natera accounts for 35.7% of Blue Water Life Science Advisors LP's portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Blue Water Life Science Advisors LP owned about 0.19% of Natera worth $40,334,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of NTRA. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Natera by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,316,470 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,949,697,000 after buying an additional 879,463 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Natera by 43.7% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,701,425 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,060,836,000 after purchasing an additional 2,036,396 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Natera by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,240,041 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $512,898,000 after purchasing an additional 439,778 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,232,681 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $355,809,000 after buying an additional 142,201 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Natera by 40.0% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,538,875 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $243,604,000 after buying an additional 439,540 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of Natera stock traded up $6.52 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $151.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 361,945 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,377,848. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The business's 50-day moving average price is $149.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $153.04. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.20 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The firm has a market cap of $20.43 billion, a PE ratio of -85.88 and a beta of 1.80.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,442 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.87, for a total value of $233,416.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 108,032 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,487,139.84. This represents a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 199,194 shares of company stock valued at $30,646,524 over the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on NTRA shares. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Natera from $200.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.