First Trust Advisors LP Trims Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

First Trust Advisors LP cut its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 12.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 572,637 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 84,670 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.43% of Natera worth $90,648,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in Natera by 20.7% in the fourth 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 period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,629 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $574,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its stake in Natera by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,963 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. 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 valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Natera by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. now owns 998 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $158,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA traded down $0.69 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $153.79. 806,949 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,379,928. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $147.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $153.34. The company has a market capitalization of $20.79 billion, a P/E ratio of -87.38 and a beta of 1.80. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.88 and a 52-week high of $183.00. 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 (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. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.91 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on NTRA shares. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. 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. StockNews.com upgraded Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $175.76.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 13,685 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.87, for a total value of $2,269,930.95. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 253,944 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,121,691.28. This trade represents a 5.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 5,201 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.87, for a total transaction of $862,689.87. Following the sale, the insider now owns 135,483 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,472,565.21. This represents a 3.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 198,743 shares of company stock valued at $30,558,447. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.