LVW Advisors LLC Reduces Stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

LVW Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 9.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,114 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 229 shares during the quarter. LVW Advisors LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $335,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Natera by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. now owns 998 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $158,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $552,000. Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,020,000. Rockingstone Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,584,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 8,794 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,392,000 after purchasing an additional 961 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NTRA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on Natera from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $160.63.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 2,212 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.53, for a total value of $350,668.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 19,386 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,073,262.58. This trade represents a 10.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 496 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.09, for a total value of $59,068.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 74,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,850,054.26. The trade was a 0.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 120,836 shares of company stock worth $19,735,092. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Performance

Natera stock opened at $158.36 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $20.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -89.98 and a beta of 1.65. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $62.96 and a 12 month high of $183.00. 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 moving average is $164.49 and its 200-day moving average is $134.77.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.43 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.95) earnings per share. Natera’s revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Natera Company 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.