29,293 Shares in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Purchased by EAM Global Investors LLC

EAM Global Investors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 29,293 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $4,637,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera by 2.4% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 10,319 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,309,000 after buying an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $583,000 after purchasing an additional 1,180 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 5,513 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $699,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 113.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 7,486 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $950,000 after acquiring an additional 3,973 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Natera during the third quarter worth approximately $385,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NTRA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price target for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $175.76.

Natera Stock Down 3.7 %

NASDAQ:NTRA traded down $5.51 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $142.57. 259,704 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,381,433. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $85.10 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The company has a market capitalization of $19.27 billion, a PE ratio of -81.01 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $153.01.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.91 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total transaction of $117,861.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 156,044 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,739,941.88. The trade was a 0.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $12,958,888.41. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 267,629 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,150,756.13. This trade represents a 22.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 325,922 shares of company stock valued at $51,603,664 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

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.