HighVista Strategies LLC Cuts Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

HighVista Strategies LLC decreased its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 3.6% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,440 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 128 shares during the period. HighVista Strategies LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $437,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NTRA. Farallon Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Natera by 13.6% in the second quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 4,460,557 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $483,034,000 after purchasing an additional 532,874 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 257.6% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 651,523 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $70,553,000 after purchasing an additional 469,327 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of Natera by 53.6% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 958,383 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $103,783,000 after acquiring an additional 334,630 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Natera by 311.9% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 406,653 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $44,036,000 after acquiring an additional 307,920 shares during the period. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Natera by 36.1% in the 2nd quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 1,145,362 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $124,031,000 after acquiring an additional 303,905 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on NTRA. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of Natera from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $135.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.59.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 2,212 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.53, for a total value of $350,668.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 19,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,073,262.58. The trade was a 10.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,024 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.48, for a total transaction of $645,483.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 195,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,141,737.28. This trade represents a 2.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 46,503 shares of company stock worth $6,325,804. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Down 0.4 %

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $169.17 on Wednesday. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $55.56 and a one year high of $171.95. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $137.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $121.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -96.12 and a beta of 1.63.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. The company had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.95) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.66 EPS for the current year.

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.