Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Sold by Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lessened its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 33.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,205 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 2,569 shares during the quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd’s holdings in Natera were worth $780,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Natera by 345.8% in the fourth 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 during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 372.9% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 1,328.0% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of Natera stock opened at $149.63 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $161.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $149.27. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $83.13 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The stock has a market cap of $20.23 billion, a PE ratio of -85.02 and a beta of 1.80.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total transaction of $106,772.40. Following the sale, the insider now owns 114,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,217,063.20. The trade was a 0.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 203,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,160,963.60. This trade represents a 30.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 307,466 shares of company stock worth $49,047,655. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTRA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.12.

Natera 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.