King Luther Capital Management Corp Reduces Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

King Luther Capital Management Corp trimmed its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 48.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 15,476 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 14,560 shares during the period. King Luther Capital Management Corp’s holdings in Natera were worth $2,450,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Natera by 104.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew 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 purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Natera by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total value of $106,772.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 114,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,217,063.20. This trade represents a 0.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.29, for a total value of $859,740.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 143,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,600,516.72. The trade was a 4.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 294,946 shares of company stock valued at $47,212,702. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Up 3.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $144.50 on Thursday. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $164.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $148.28. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $83.13 and a 12-month high of $183.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -82.10 and a beta of 1.80.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on NTRA. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Craig Hallum raised their target price on shares of Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated 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 given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $173.56.

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.