Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Purchases 8,635 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 79.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,493 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,635 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Natera were worth $3,086,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 104.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the fourth quarter valued at $213,000. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $297,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth approximately $207,000. Finally, Choreo LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 1,986 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $315,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Down 1.1%

NASDAQ NTRA traded down $1.75 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $163.76. 1,016,903 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,404,745. The firm has a market cap of $22.36 billion, a PE ratio of -93.05 and a beta of 1.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $92.14 and a 52-week high of $183.00. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $151.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $158.66.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.50) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.59) by $0.09. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The firm had revenue of $501.83 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $446.68 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.56) EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on Natera in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $184.63.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.07, for a total transaction of $471,210.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 133,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,922,509.35. The trade was a 2.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,702 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.03, for a total transaction of $978,693.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 203,354 shares in the company, valued at $29,695,784.62. The trade was a 3.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 68,275 shares of company stock worth $10,075,783 over the last 90 days. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.