Thematics Asset Management Sells 15,221 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Thematics Asset Management trimmed its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 23.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,333 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 15,221 shares during the quarter. Thematics Asset Management's holdings in Natera were worth $7,809,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 34.6% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 4,593 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $583,000 after acquiring an additional 1,180 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 113.1% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 7,486 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $950,000 after purchasing an additional 3,973 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Natera during the third quarter valued at approximately $385,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Natera by 42.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,099,335 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $144,958,000 after purchasing an additional 328,375 shares during the period. Finally, Exome Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 20.4% in the 3rd quarter. Exome Asset Management LLC now owns 22,450 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $2,850,000 after buying an additional 3,800 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA traded down $0.95 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $153.53. The company had a trading volume of 377,019 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,376,162. The company has a market capitalization of $20.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -87.35 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $148.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $153.19. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $87.20 and a 1-year high of $183.00.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on NTRA shares. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, February 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Guggenheim increased 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. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $175.76.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 5,201 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 transaction of $862,689.87. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 135,483 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,472,565.21. This trade represents a 3.70 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 13,685 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.87, for a total transaction of $2,269,930.95. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 253,944 shares of the company's stock, valued at $42,121,691.28. This represents a 5.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 198,743 shares of company stock worth $30,558,447 over the last ninety days. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.