Beaconlight Capital LLC Sells 29,821 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Beaconlight Capital LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 39.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 44,994 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 29,821 shares during the period. Natera makes up about 2.6% of Beaconlight Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Beaconlight Capital LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $7,123,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Natera by 104.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Natera by 345.8% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 372.9% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Natera by 1,328.0% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Natera Trading Up 3.5 %

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $156.66 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $21.18 billion, a PE ratio of -89.01 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $146.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $154.37. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $92.14 and a 1 year high of $183.00.

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

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 43,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.88, for a total value of $7,694,633.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 70,629 shares in the company, valued at $12,492,857.52. The trade was a 38.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total transaction of $12,514,804.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 203,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,160,963.60. This trade represents a 30.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 196,601 shares of company stock worth $29,831,575. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on NTRA shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Natera from $200.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.76.

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.