Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Trims Stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 12.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,744 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 2,515 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Natera were worth $2,509,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in 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. Fulton Bank N.A. grew its position in Natera by 2.0% in the first quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 3,652 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $516,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Natera by 1.5% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,417 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $766,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its stake in Natera by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 1,325 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $210,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,812 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $445,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 9,563 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.41, for a total transaction of $1,323,614.83. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 212,541 shares in the company, valued at $29,417,799.81. This represents a 4.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.48, for a total transaction of $421,440.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 141,782 shares in the company, valued at $19,917,535.36. This represents a 2.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 59,755 shares of company stock worth $8,898,589 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Up 2.4%

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $168.17 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $158.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $158.58. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $92.14 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The stock has a market cap of $22.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -114.40 and a beta of 1.74.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 17th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $184.63.

About Natera

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.

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