Proficio Capital Partners LLC Takes $16.11 Million Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 101,787 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,113,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Creative Planning raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 18.3% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 5,833 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $740,000 after purchasing an additional 904 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its position in Natera by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,721 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $346,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 9,755.3% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,980 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,902,000 after buying an additional 14,828 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Natera by 17.8% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,858 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,378,000 after buying an additional 1,640 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR purchased a new stake in Natera during the third quarter worth approximately $258,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total transaction of $106,772.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 114,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,217,063.20. This represents a 0.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $44,150,756.13. This trade represents a 22.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 295,772 shares of company stock valued at $49,741,699. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

NTRA opened at $155.59 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $20.54 billion, a P/E ratio of -88.40 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a 50-day moving average of $167.44 and a 200-day moving average of $146.95. 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 1-year low of $83.13 and a 1-year high of $183.00.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on NTRA. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays began coverage on Natera in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $172.69.

About Natera

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.