Natera, Inc. $NTRA Shares Sold by Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC

Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC cut its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 18.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 323,571 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 70,994 shares during the quarter. Natera comprises about 1.6% of Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC owned 0.23% of Natera worth $74,127,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in Natera by 95.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 225 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera during the third quarter worth about $46,000. Hilltop National Bank grew its position in Natera by 59.8% in the 3rd quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 310 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Natera by 256.8% in the 2nd quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 314 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of Natera stock opened at $186.84 on Tuesday. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $125.38 and a twelve month high of $256.36. The firm has a market cap of $26.48 billion, a P/E ratio of -122.12 and a beta of 1.65. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $210.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $208.74.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by $0.81. Natera had a negative net margin of 9.03% and a negative return on equity of 15.28%. The company had revenue of $665.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $600.68 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.41) EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 37,175 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.54, for a total transaction of $9,016,424.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 64,123 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,552,392.42. The trade was a 36.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 85,299 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.72, for a total transaction of $19,680,185.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 127,881 shares in the company, valued at $29,504,704.32. The trade was a 40.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 318,344 shares of company stock worth $74,091,416 in the last ninety days. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays boosted their target price on Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Natera from $239.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Natera in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Natera from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.47.

Natera Profile

Natera is a global diagnostics company that develops and commercializes cell-free DNA and other genetic testing technologies for clinical applications. The company focuses on three principal areas: reproductive health (including non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening), oncology (tumor-informed assays for minimal residual disease and recurrence monitoring), and organ transplantation (cell-free DNA tests to detect allograft injury). Natera combines laboratory testing, proprietary bioinformatics, and clinical reporting to deliver personalized genetic information to clinicians and patients.

Key product offerings include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and select single-gene conditions; Horizon carrier screening for inherited conditions; Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay used for detecting minimal residual disease and monitoring treatment response in cancer patients; and Prospera, a donor-derived cell-free DNA test used to assess the risk of organ rejection.