Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Decreases Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ reduced its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 73.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 38,799 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 104,959 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Natera were worth $6,150,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Natera by 205.4% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,800,263 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $355,493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,883,481 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $146,419,000. PointState Capital LP increased its stake in shares of Natera by 112.0% in the third quarter. PointState Capital LP now owns 782,538 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $99,343,000 after buying an additional 413,468 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Natera by 42.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,099,335 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $144,958,000 after acquiring an additional 328,375 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maverick Capital Ltd. boosted its stake in Natera by 25.2% during the 3rd quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 1,340,045 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $170,119,000 after acquiring an additional 269,706 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Stock Performance

NTRA stock opened at $148.22 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $20.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -84.22 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $163.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $148.62. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $83.13 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total transaction of $117,861.51. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 156,044 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,739,941.88. This trade represents a 0.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 946 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.98, for a total value of $162,693.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 109,474 shares in the company, valued at $18,827,338.52. This represents a 0.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 298,946 shares of company stock worth $47,803,462 over the last 90 days. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on NTRA. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price target on the stock. Barclays started coverage on Natera in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.12.

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.