Van ECK Associates Corp Boosts Stock Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 17.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 119,673 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,748 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Natera were worth $18,944,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Natera by 104.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Natera by 345.8% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in Natera by 34.3% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at about $70,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on NTRA shares. StockNews.com downgraded Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Craig Hallum raised their price objective on Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.88.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other Natera news, Director Roelof Botha sold 87,473 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.12, for a total value of $14,793,433.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,224,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,135,977.44. The trade was a 6.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 9,682 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.98, for a total transaction of $1,548,926.36. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 9,704 shares in the company, valued at $1,552,445.92. This trade represents a 49.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 305,454 shares of company stock valued at $51,290,625. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Up 1.6 %

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $173.39 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -98.52 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $68.03 and a 12 month high of $183.00. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $167.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $143.14.

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.