Wells Fargo & Company MN Raises Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 69.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 96,136 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 39,340 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN owned about 0.07% of Natera worth $15,218,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Blue Trust Inc. grew 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Natera by 345.8% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 372.9% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings 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 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 valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA traded down $2.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $148.08. The company had a trading volume of 602,609 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,385,851. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $85.10 and a 1-year high of $183.00. The company has a market capitalization of $20.02 billion, a PE ratio of -84.14 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $150.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $152.82.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley boosted 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. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $175.76.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,629 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. This represents a 22.69 % 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 this hyperlink. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total transaction of $117,861.51. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 156,044 shares in the company, valued at $27,739,941.88. The trade was a 0.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 325,922 shares of company stock valued at $51,603,664. 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.