SG Americas Securities LLC Cuts Stake in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

SG Americas Securities LLC reduced its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 52.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 36,918 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 40,786 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $8,458,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new position in Natera during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 95.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Hilltop National Bank lifted its position in shares of 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 period. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 256.8% during the second quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 314 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Natera from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Barclays boosted their price target on Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Natera from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.47.

Natera Stock Up 2.3%

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $186.84 on Tuesday. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $125.38 and a 52 week high of $256.36. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $210.12 and a 200 day moving average of $208.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -122.12 and a beta of 1.65.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 915 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.13, for a total value of $186,778.95. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 150,882 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,799,542.66. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 785 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.13, for a total value of $160,242.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 63,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,932,452.02. This represents a 1.22% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 318,344 shares of company stock worth $74,091,416 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

About Natera

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.