Calamos Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Calamos Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 99.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,970 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 10,003,975 shares during the period. Calamos Advisors LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $3,636,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NTRA. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Natera by 345.8% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 34.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 32.7% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 430 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 43,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.88, for a total value of $7,694,633.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 70,629 shares in the company, valued at $12,492,857.52. This represents a 38.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,728 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.41, for a total value of $692,226.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 185,034 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,090,827.94. This trade represents a 2.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 311,731 shares of company stock worth $52,215,659. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $174.24 on Wednesday. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $66.68 and a 12-month high of $183.00. 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 has a market cap of $23.00 billion, a PE ratio of -99.00 and a beta of 1.66. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $167.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $139.52.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. The company had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.95) earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.56 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NTRA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Craig Hallum raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.88.

Natera Company 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.