Hood River Capital Management LLC Increases Stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Hood River Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 5.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,648 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 2,260 shares during the quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC's holdings in Natera were worth $6,593,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Natera by 104.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Natera by 345.8% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera by 372.9% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 343 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.55, for a total transaction of $49,923.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 156,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,843,490.30. This trade represents a 0.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total transaction of $12,514,804.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 203,354 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,160,963.60. The trade was a 30.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 197,301 shares of company stock worth $30,325,031. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTRA has been the subject of several research reports. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Natera from $200.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $175.76.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $153.16. 325,976 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,377,813. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $147.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $153.87. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.88 and a 52-week high of $183.00. The company has a market capitalization of $20.71 billion, a P/E ratio of -86.80 and a beta of 1.80.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. Equities research analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current 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.