Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) is Lagoda Investment Management L.P.'s 3rd Largest Position

Lagoda Investment Management L.P. cut its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 14.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 97,163 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 16,972 shares during the period. Natera accounts for 8.3% of Lagoda Investment Management L.P.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Lagoda Investment Management L.P. owned approximately 0.07% of Natera worth $15,381,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Diversified Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter valued at about $220,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,001 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,741,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. increased its stake in Natera by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 16,280 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,577,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth $313,000. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,865 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,087,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Natera Trading Down 1.3%

NASDAQ NTRA traded down $1.94 during trading on Thursday, hitting $149.40. The stock had a trading volume of 808,765 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,386,182. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a market capitalization of $20.20 billion, a PE ratio of -84.89 and a beta of 1.79. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $148.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $156.12. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $92.14 and a twelve month 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 company had revenue of $501.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 posted ($0.56) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.29, for a total value 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $12,514,804.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 203,354 shares in the company, 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. Insiders sold a total of 152,436 shares of company stock valued at $22,019,079 in the last three months. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on NTRA shares. Guggenheim upped their price target on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. One investment 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 stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $182.12.

Natera 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.