Trexquant Investment LP Sells 27,787 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Trexquant Investment LP lowered its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 44.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 35,174 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 27,787 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP’s holdings in Natera were worth $5,568,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Natera by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,316,470 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,949,697,000 after buying an additional 879,463 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Natera by 43.7% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,701,425 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,060,836,000 after acquiring an additional 2,036,396 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Natera by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,240,041 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $512,898,000 after purchasing an additional 439,778 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,232,681 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $355,809,000 after purchasing an additional 142,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,538,875 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $243,604,000 after purchasing an additional 439,540 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. The trade was a 22.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 24,861 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $4,101,319.17. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 140,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,208,639.48. This trade represents a 15.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 325,922 shares of company stock valued at $51,603,664 in the last ninety days. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Natera Stock Down 3.5 %

Natera stock opened at $133.87 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $18.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -76.06 and a beta of 1.80. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $83.13 and a 52-week high of $183.00. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $156.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $151.23.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on NTRA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, February 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.12.

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.