Perkins Capital Management Inc. Sells 3,675 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Perkins Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 6.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 50,675 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 3,675 shares during the quarter. Natera makes up approximately 7.1% of Perkins Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its largest holding. Perkins Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Natera were worth $8,022,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Natera by 104.3% in 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 last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Natera by 372.9% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted 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 last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Natera by 1,328.0% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 267,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. This trade represents a 22.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 1,026 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.04, for a total value of $149,837.04. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 144,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,143,963.28. The trade was a 0.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 306,797 shares of company stock valued at $48,940,883. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Natera Stock Performance

NTRA opened at $151.15 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $161.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $150.01. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $83.13 and a 1 year high of $183.00. The company has a market capitalization of $20.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -85.88 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.01. The business had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. Equities analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.