Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) is Tri Locum Partners LP's 4th Largest Position

Tri Locum Partners LP lowered its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 36.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 202,646 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 114,793 shares during the period. Natera accounts for approximately 6.6% of Tri Locum Partners LP's portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Tri Locum Partners LP owned 0.15% of Natera worth $32,079,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in Natera by 134.9% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,742,428 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,067,327,000 after purchasing an additional 3,871,862 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Natera by 43.7% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,701,425 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,060,836,000 after purchasing an additional 2,036,396 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter worth about $224,040,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter worth about $146,419,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Natera by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,316,470 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,949,697,000 after purchasing an additional 879,463 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Natera Trading Down 2.6 %

Shares of NTRA stock traded down $3.96 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $150.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 985,658 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,380,986. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.40 billion, a P/E ratio of -85.76 and a beta of 1.80. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $92.01 and a one year high of $183.00. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $147.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $153.86. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

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 expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 343 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 156,946 shares in the company, valued at $22,843,490.30. The trade was a 0.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were 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 $29,160,963.60. This represents 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 174,080 shares of company stock worth $26,473,363. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on NTRA shares. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on Natera in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 target price for the company. Barclays dropped their price target on Natera from $200.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research 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. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $175.76.

About Natera

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.