Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 7.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 162,371 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 13,638 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned 0.12% of Natera worth $22,961,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Huntleigh Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Natera by 9.7% during the first quarter. Huntleigh Advisors Inc. now owns 10,027 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,418,000 after acquiring an additional 890 shares during the last quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC increased its position in Natera by 29.0% in the first quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 29,637 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $4,191,000 after buying an additional 6,667 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in Natera by 780.1% in the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,461 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $207,000 after buying an additional 1,295 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd purchased a new stake in Natera in the first quarter worth $1,851,000. Finally, Amalgamated Bank increased its position in Natera by 9.8% in the first quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 8,293 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,173,000 after buying an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Stock Down 1.0%

NASDAQ:NTRA traded down $1.45 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $148.40. 1,537,929 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,423,539. The firm has a market cap of $20.26 billion, a P/E ratio of -100.95 and a beta of 1.73. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $92.14 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $160.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $158.33.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.50) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.59) by $0.09. The company had revenue of $501.83 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.68 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 18.29% and a negative net margin of 10.36%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.56) earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 2,018 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.18, for a total transaction of $307,099.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 73,539 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,191,165.02. This trade represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,343 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.53, for a total value of $889,769.79. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 173,728 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,930,923.84. This trade represents a 2.98% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 53,272 shares of company stock worth $8,345,368 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on NTRA shares. Barclays raised their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 17th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Natera from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $184.63.

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.