Russell Investments Group Ltd. Cuts Stock Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lowered its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 21.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,175 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 8,390 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Natera were worth $4,935,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in Natera in the fourth quarter worth approximately $214,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 69.3% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 96,136 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $15,218,000 after purchasing an additional 39,340 shares during the last quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter valued at about $247,000. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC grew its stake in Natera by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 13,031 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,062,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Natera in the fourth quarter worth about $312,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $148.45 on Tuesday. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $83.13 and a twelve 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 $20.07 billion, a PE ratio of -84.35 and a beta of 1.80. The company’s 50 day moving average is $152.09 and its 200 day moving average is $152.40.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $12,958,888.41. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. This represents a 22.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.69, for a total transaction of $590,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,704 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,433,183.76. The trade was a 29.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 325,922 shares of company stock valued at $51,603,664. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on NTRA shares. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.76.

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.