Vontobel Holding Ltd. Has $1.95 Million Stock Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lessened its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,130 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 1,250 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Natera were worth $1,950,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Natera by 6.7% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 820,974 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,399,000 after acquiring an additional 51,791 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its position in Natera by 20.0% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 16,180 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $658,000 after purchasing an additional 2,698 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Natera by 215.2% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,049 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 1,399 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in Natera by 80.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 130,062 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $5,390,000 after purchasing an additional 58,049 shares during the period. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the 1st quarter valued at about $209,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Natera from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $120.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Natera from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $78.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. Finally, Craig Hallum assumed coverage on Natera in a report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $117.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.40.

Natera Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $85.28 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 3.96 and a current ratio of 4.10. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $36.90 and a 12 month high of $98.82. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $86.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.85.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.73) by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $311.11 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.38 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 62.19% and a negative net margin of 40.16%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -2.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 80,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.82, for a total transaction of $7,265,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 117,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,676,799.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider John Fesko sold 2,358 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.09, for a total transaction of $153,482.22. Following the sale, the insider now owns 108,494 shares in the company, valued at $7,061,874.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 80,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.82, for a total value of $7,265,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 117,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,676,799.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 453,293 shares of company stock worth $36,453,056. Corporate insiders own 9.42% of the company’s stock.

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.