UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Sells 115,217 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC decreased its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 18.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 521,634 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 115,217 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.40% of Natera worth $82,575,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 50.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 657 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at $2,894,000. SYM FINANCIAL Corp bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter worth $256,000. KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Natera by 753.8% during 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 during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position 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 period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA traded down $3.16 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $158.05. 1,658,722 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,394,255. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $92.14 and a 12 month high of $183.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $149.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.06. The firm has a market cap of $21.58 billion, a PE ratio of -89.80 and a beta of 1.79.

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 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 analysts' expectations of $446.68 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.56) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NTRA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 17th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $182.12.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now owns 9,704 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,433,183.76. This represents a 29.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $12,514,804.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 203,354 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,160,963.60. This trade represents a 30.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 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.