KBC Group NV Sells 11,944 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

KBC Group NV cut its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 43.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,607 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 11,944 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in Natera were worth $2,207,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in Natera by 117.8% in the 1st quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 220 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in Natera in the 1st quarter worth $32,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Natera by 372.9% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NTRA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Natera from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $184.63.

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,299 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.36, for a total value of $719,480.64. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,118 shares in the company, valued at $1,358,628.48. The trade was a 34.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 2,018 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.18, for a total value of $307,099.24. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 73,539 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,191,165.02. This represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 53,272 shares of company stock worth $8,345,368 over the last 90 days. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ NTRA traded down $0.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $161.50. 468,868 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,425,063. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $92.14 and a 1-year high of $183.00. The company has a market cap of $22.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -109.86 and a beta of 1.73. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $160.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $158.44.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.50) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.59) by $0.09. Natera had a negative return on equity of 18.29% and a negative net margin of 10.36%. The business had revenue of $501.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $446.68 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.56) EPS. Natera's revenue was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect 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.