TrueMark Investments LLC Takes $854,000 Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

TrueMark Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 6,036 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $854,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Natera by 50.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 657 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $104,000 after buying an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 1,328.0% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $221,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,417 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $766,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $248,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $4.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $168.17. The stock had a trading volume of 1,444,597 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,415,253. The firm has a market cap of $22.96 billion, a PE ratio of -114.40 and a beta of 1.74. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $158.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $158.58. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $92.14 and a twelve month high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $501.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.56) EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 2,562 shares of the firm's 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 $354,606.42. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,557 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,457,844.37. This trade represents a 3.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 9,563 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.41, for a total transaction of $1,323,614.83. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 212,541 shares in the company, valued at $29,417,799.81. This trade represents a 4.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 59,755 shares of company stock worth $8,898,589. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on NTRA. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.