Perkins Capital Management Inc. Has $8.02 Million Stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Perkins Capital Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 6.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,675 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 3,675 shares during the period. Natera makes up approximately 7.1% of Perkins Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Perkins Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Natera were worth $8,022,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 205.4% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,800,263 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $355,493,000 after acquiring an additional 1,883,481 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth approximately $146,419,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,316,470 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,949,697,000 after acquiring an additional 879,463 shares during the period. PointState Capital LP boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 112.0% during the third quarter. PointState Capital LP now owns 782,538 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $99,343,000 after acquiring an additional 413,468 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 42.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,099,335 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $144,958,000 after acquiring an additional 328,375 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NTRA has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $178.12.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,629 shares in the company, valued at $44,150,756.13. This represents a 22.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.69, for a total value of $590,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 9,704 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,433,183.76. The trade was a 29.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 306,797 shares of company stock worth $48,940,883. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $151.15 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $161.23 and a 200-day moving average of $150.01. The company has a market capitalization of $20.43 billion, a PE ratio of -85.88 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $83.13 and a 52-week high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced 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. The company had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. On average, equities analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Natera 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.