Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Lowers Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lessened its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 55.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 27,194 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 33,171 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.'s holdings in Natera were worth $3,846,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cynosure Group LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 39.2% in the 1st quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 2,388 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 65.8% in the 1st quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 2,600 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 1,032 shares during the period. Founders Financial Alliance LLC acquired a new position in Natera in the 1st quarter worth about $220,000. Forsta AP Fonden acquired a new position in Natera in the 1st quarter worth about $3,634,000. Finally, Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in Natera by 22.0% in the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 181,079 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $25,606,000 after purchasing an additional 32,689 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on NTRA. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Sunday, August 10th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $220.00 price target (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 17th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $183.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $210.00 price objective (up from $190.00) on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $193.19.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,807 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.88, for a total value of $771,634.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 163,593 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,738,237.84. This represents a 3.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 678 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.46, for a total value of $105,401.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 152,747 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,746,048.62. The trade was a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 61,792 shares of company stock valued at $9,227,972. Insiders own 5.63% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA stock traded up $4.58 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $163.02. The company had a trading volume of 1,502,326 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,693,905. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $155.18 and a 200-day moving average of $154.66. The company has a market capitalization of $22.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -85.35 and a beta of 1.76. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $110.57 and a 12-month high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.74) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.60) by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $546.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $476.84 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 12.89% and a negative return on equity of 22.22%. Natera's revenue for the quarter was up 32.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.30) earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

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.