Mariner LLC Grows Stock Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Mariner LLC raised its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 7.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,769 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 636 shares during the quarter. Mariner LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $1,546,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Natera by 20.7% in 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 grew its holdings in Natera by 1,328.0% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.69, for a total transaction of $590,760.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,704 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,433,183.76. The trade was a 29.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 2,562 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.41, for a total value of $354,606.42. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,457,844.37. The trade was a 3.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 198,743 shares of company stock worth $30,558,447. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Performance

Natera stock opened at $154.48 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.19. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $87.20 and a twelve month high of $183.00. The company has a market capitalization of $20.88 billion, a PE ratio of -87.77 and a beta of 1.80.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on NTRA shares. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price target on the stock. Barclays dropped their price objective on Natera from $200.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.76.

About Natera

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.