New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 8,864 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

New York State Common Retirement Fund lowered its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 10.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 72,829 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 8,864 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.06% of Natera worth $11,529,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Natera by 104.3% in 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 during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Natera by 345.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at about $57,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total transaction of $106,772.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 114,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,217,063.20. This represents a 0.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Roelof Botha sold 87,473 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.12, for a total transaction of $14,793,433.76. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,224,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,135,977.44. This represents a 6.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 295,772 shares of company stock worth $49,741,699. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA opened at $158.37 on Tuesday. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $70.71 and a twelve month high of $183.00. The company has a market capitalization of $20.91 billion, a P/E ratio of -89.98 and a beta of 1.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $167.73 and a 200 day moving average of $146.21. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. 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. TD Cowen raised their target price on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. StockNews.com cut Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on Natera from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.94.

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.