Wells Fargo & Company MN Raises Stock Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 69.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 96,136 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 39,340 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN’s holdings in Natera were worth $15,218,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NTRA. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Natera by 104.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Natera by 345.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 372.9% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Natera by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 1,328.0% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $175.76.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 43,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.88, for a total value of $7,694,633.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 70,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,492,857.52. This trade represents a 38.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was 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 $27,739,941.88. The trade was a 0.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 325,922 shares of company stock worth $51,603,664 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Up 0.3 %

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $148.45 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $152.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $152.40. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $83.13 and a 12-month high of $183.00. The firm has a market cap of $20.07 billion, a P/E ratio of -84.35 and a beta of 1.80.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 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.