Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC Trims Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC decreased its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 440,211 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 25,099 shares during the period. Natera comprises approximately 1.4% of Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC owned approximately 0.33% of Natera worth $69,685,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased 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 buying an additional 1,883,481 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Natera in the fourth quarter worth about $146,419,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Natera by 7.7% in 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 in the last quarter. PointState Capital LP boosted its holdings in Natera by 112.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Natera by 42.6% in 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, February 28th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on Natera in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.12.

Natera Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NTRA opened at $151.15 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $161.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $150.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -85.88 and a beta of 1.80. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $83.13 and a one year high of $183.00.

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

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 43,502 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.88, for a total transaction of $7,694,633.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 70,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,492,857.52. This represents a 38.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,702 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.03, for a total value of $978,693.06. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 203,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,695,784.62. The trade was a 3.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 306,797 shares of company stock worth $48,940,883. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.