Merit Financial Group LLC Raises Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 168.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,369 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,882 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Natera were worth $1,325,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of NTRA. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Natera by 104.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 372.9% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 1,328.0% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,111 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.10, for a total transaction of $960,038.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 179,071 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,132,054.10. This trade represents a 3.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.69, for a total value of $590,760.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,704 shares in the company, valued at $1,433,183.76. This trade represents a 29.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 68,275 shares of company stock valued at $10,075,783 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 17th. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $184.63.

Natera Trading Up 0.6%

Natera stock traded up $1.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $165.22. The stock had a trading volume of 1,188,866 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,406,388. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $152.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.56. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $92.14 and a one year high of $183.00. The stock has a market cap of $22.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -93.88 and a beta of 1.74. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $501.83 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.68 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.56) EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.