Renaissance Technologies LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Renaissance Technologies LLC reduced its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 13.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 394,000 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 61,807 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 0.30% of Natera worth $62,370,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Natera by 104.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 345.8% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 372.9% during 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. lifted its stake in Natera by 20.7% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 1,328.0% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Stock Up 14.9 %

Shares of Natera stock opened at $151.97 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $20.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -86.35 and a beta of 1.80. The company’s 50 day moving average is $153.85 and its 200 day moving average is $151.75. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $83.13 and a twelve month high of $183.00. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. The business had revenue of $476.10 million for 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on NTRA. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price target on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, February 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.12.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 267,629 shares in the company, valued at $44,150,756.13. This trade represents a 22.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $27,739,941.88. The trade was a 0.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 325,922 shares of company stock valued at $51,603,664. Corporate insiders own 7.60% 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.