Graham Capital Management L.P. Cuts Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Graham Capital Management L.P. trimmed its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 50.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,487 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 3,571 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P.'s holdings in Natera were worth $552,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. Principal Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Natera by 20.7% in 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. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,629 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $574,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its stake in Natera by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,963 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $470,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Natera by 104.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring 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 firm's 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 203,354 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,160,963.60. This trade represents a 30.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.29, for a total transaction of $859,740.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 152,436 shares of company stock valued at $22,019,079 in the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Barclays upped their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. StockNews.com downgraded Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on Natera from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $182.12.

Natera Stock Performance

NTRA traded up $0.68 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $153.27. 752,259 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,385,783. The company's fifty day moving average price is $148.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.93 billion, a P/E ratio of -87.09 and a beta of 1.79. 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 $92.14 and a 52-week high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $446.68 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. Natera's revenue for the quarter was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.56) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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.