Bamco Inc. NY Trims Stock Position in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Bamco Inc. NY lessened its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 53.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,500 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 4,000 shares during the quarter. Bamco Inc. NY’s holdings in Natera were worth $563,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 6.6% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $221,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in Natera by 68.3% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,552 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $644,000 after acquiring an additional 1,847 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in Natera by 8.6% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,993 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $847,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $298,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Natera by 29.6% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,453 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Natera from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Natera from $265.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.47.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.13, for a total value of $144,319.91. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 189,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,621,191.87. This trade represents a 0.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,623 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.13, for a total value of $1,147,822.99. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 156,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,968,186.91. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 318,222 shares of company stock worth $74,068,068 in the last ninety days. 5.63% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Natera Stock Performance

Natera stock opened at $197.68 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $218.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $206.93. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $125.38 and a 1 year high of $256.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.02 billion, a P/E ratio of -129.20 and a beta of 1.65.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.46) by $0.81. The company had revenue of $665.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 prior year, the business posted ($0.41) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Natera Company 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.