Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC Sells 188,612 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC reduced its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 18.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 840,666 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 188,612 shares during the quarter. Natera comprises 1.3% of Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC owned 0.64% of Natera worth $133,077,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of NTRA. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in Natera by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,629 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $574,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its stake in Natera by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,963 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $470,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its position in Natera by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 1,325 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $210,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Natera by 104.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total transaction of $12,514,804.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 203,354 shares in the company, valued at $29,160,963.60. This represents a 30.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.29, for a total transaction of $859,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 143,768 shares in the company, valued at $20,600,516.72. This represents a 4.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 152,436 shares of company stock worth $22,019,079 in the last 90 days. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on NTRA shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays raised 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. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $181.82.

Natera Price Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA traded down $11.58 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $150.99. 4,379,794 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,386,333. The stock's 50-day moving average is $147.51 and its 200-day moving average is $155.90. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $92.14 and a twelve month high of $183.00. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market cap of $20.41 billion, a PE ratio of -85.79 and a beta of 1.79.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.50) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.59) by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $501.83 million during 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.56) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.