Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Has $3.39 Million Stock Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA trimmed its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 94.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,418 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 364,069 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Natera were worth $3,390,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NTRA. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Natera by 104.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 345.8% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Natera by 372.9% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. lifted 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 last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in Natera by 1,328.0% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $133.87 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $156.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $151.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $83.13 and a 1 year high of $183.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -76.06 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) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.91 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on NTRA. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on Natera in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Natera presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.12.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 43,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.88, for a total transaction of $7,694,633.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 70,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,492,857.52. This represents a 38.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. This trade represents a 22.69 % 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 worth $51,603,664. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

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.