Sei Investments Co. Trims Stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Sei Investments Co. lessened its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 293,009 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 10,962 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Natera were worth $46,383,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Commerce Bank bought a new position in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at $286,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 17.6% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,778 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $607,000 after purchasing an additional 714 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in Natera by 27.0% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 86,144 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $10,936,000 after purchasing an additional 18,316 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at $232,000. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its position in Natera by 90.7% during the 3rd quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 7,774 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $987,000 after purchasing an additional 3,697 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.69, for a total value of $590,760.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,704 shares in the company, valued at $1,433,183.76. This trade represents a 29.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.29, for a total transaction of $859,740.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 143,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,600,516.72. The trade was a 4.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 306,797 shares of company stock valued at $48,940,883. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Natera Price Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $153.83 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $83.13 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $160.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $150.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.80 billion, a PE ratio of -87.40 and a beta of 1.80.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. The company had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, February 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.12.

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.