Two Sigma Investments LP Sells 14,264 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Two Sigma Investments LP lowered its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 374,365 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 14,264 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP owned approximately 0.28% of Natera worth $59,262,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Natera by 50.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 657 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth $2,894,000. SYM FINANCIAL Corp bought a new stake in Natera in the fourth quarter worth $256,000. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Natera by 753.8% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 27,551 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $4,361,000 after purchasing an additional 24,324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 1,328.0% in the fourth 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. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 17th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $182.12.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA traded up $0.84 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $153.32. 1,085,198 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,392,841. The stock's fifty day moving average is $149.39 and its 200 day moving average is $157.72. The stock has a market cap of $20.94 billion, a P/E ratio of -87.11 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $92.14 and a 1-year high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $501.83 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.68 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.56) earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.29, for a total transaction of $859,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 143,768 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,600,516.72. This trade represents a 4.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,980 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.10, for a total transaction of $1,047,698.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 185,182 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,795,818.20. The trade was a 3.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 152,436 shares of company stock valued at $22,019,079 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

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.