Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Sells 2,945 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 40.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,346 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 2,945 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $996,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Natera by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,628,914 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,871,914,000 after buying an additional 1,003,129 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Natera by 37.5% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,665,013 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $428,987,000 after acquiring an additional 727,366 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera by 39.0% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,400,065 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $386,338,000 after acquiring an additional 673,315 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera by 215.7% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 527,942 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $84,983,000 after acquiring an additional 360,733 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP increased its position in Natera by 118.3% during the second quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 572,832 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $96,774,000 after acquiring an additional 310,452 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $207.98 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $125.38 and a one year high of $256.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $207.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $209.16. The stock has a market cap of $29.48 billion, a P/E ratio of -135.93 and a beta of 1.68.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NTRA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $300.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Natera from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,623 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 transaction of $1,147,822.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 156,607 shares in the company, valued at $31,968,186.91. This trade represents a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 785 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.13, for a total value of $160,242.05. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 63,354 shares in the company, valued at $12,932,452.02. The trade was a 1.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 314,545 shares of company stock valued at $73,141,185 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Natera 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.