Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP trimmed its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 286,909 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 1,763 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.22% of Natera worth $45,418,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 43.7% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,701,425 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,060,836,000 after buying an additional 2,036,396 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth about $224,040,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter valued at about $146,419,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Natera by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,316,470 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,949,697,000 after acquiring an additional 879,463 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Natera by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,240,041 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $512,898,000 after buying an additional 439,778 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Stock Down 8.5 %

Shares of NTRA traded down $13.80 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $148.77. 1,693,868 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,391,658. 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 has a 50 day moving average of $147.33 and a 200 day moving average of $155.18. The company has a market capitalization of $20.11 billion, a PE ratio of -84.53 and a beta of 1.79. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $92.14 and a 1-year high of $183.00.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on NTRA. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $177.53.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 2,206 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.18, for a total transaction of $335,709.08. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 139,280 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,195,630.40. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 2,562 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.41, for a total value of $354,606.42. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,557 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,457,844.37. This trade represents a 3.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 152,436 shares of company stock valued at $22,019,079 over the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Natera 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.