SWS Partners Reduces Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

SWS Partners cut its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 12.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 51,485 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 7,139 shares during the period. Natera comprises 2.5% of SWS Partners’ portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. SWS Partners’ holdings in Natera were worth $8,150,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake 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 valued at $355,493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,883,481 shares in the last quarter. PointState Capital LP boosted its position in Natera by 112.0% during the 3rd quarter. PointState Capital LP now owns 782,538 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $99,343,000 after acquiring an additional 413,468 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 42.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,099,335 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $144,958,000 after acquiring an additional 328,375 shares during the period. ARK Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 65.6% in the 3rd quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 687,703 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $87,304,000 after acquiring an additional 272,361 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maverick Capital Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 25.2% during the 3rd quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 1,340,045 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $170,119,000 after purchasing an additional 269,706 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $143.11 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $18.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -81.31 and a beta of 1.66. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $83.13 and a 12 month high of $183.00. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $167.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $147.35. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. As a group, analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total transaction of $117,861.51. Following the sale, the insider now owns 156,044 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,739,941.88. This trade represents a 0.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,442 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.87, for a total transaction of $233,416.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 108,032 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,487,139.84. This trade represents a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 208,299 shares of company stock valued at $34,948,265 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NTRA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $172.69.

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.