Osterweis Capital Management Inc. Has $10.66 Million Stock Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Osterweis Capital Management Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 11.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 67,315 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 8,595 shares during the period. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. owned 0.05% of Natera worth $10,656,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in Natera by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC increased 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 during the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its position 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 period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NTRA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Natera from $200.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $175.76.

Insider Activity 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 transaction of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. This represents a 22.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 24,861 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $4,101,319.17. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 140,684 shares in the company, valued at $23,208,639.48. This represents a 15.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 325,922 shares of company stock valued at $51,603,664. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Natera Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of NTRA stock traded up $3.46 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $145.69. 198,022 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,378,893. 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 firm has a market cap of $19.69 billion, a PE ratio of -82.84 and a beta of 1.80. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $85.10 and a 1 year high of $183.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $149.66 and a 200 day moving average of $153.09.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. Analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

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.