Fullerton Fund Management Co Ltd. Sells 297,706 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Fullerton Fund Management Co Ltd. lessened its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 98.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,228 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 297,706 shares during the period. Fullerton Fund Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Natera were worth $1,052,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the second quarter worth $1,525,000. Atria Investments Inc grew its stake in Natera by 30.1% during the second quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 13,242 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,237,000 after buying an additional 3,063 shares in the last quarter. Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC grew its stake in Natera by 3.0% during the second quarter. Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC now owns 124,100 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $20,965,000 after buying an additional 3,610 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Natera by 277.8% in the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 26,624 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,498,000 after buying an additional 19,576 shares during the period. Finally, Comerica Bank raised its position in shares of Natera by 24.1% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 141,106 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $19,954,000 after buying an additional 27,379 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on NTRA. BTIG Research increased their price target on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Barclays raised their target price on Natera from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Natera from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Stephens upped their price objective on Natera from $197.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Natera from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $225.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Roy D. Baynes sold 7,668 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.08, for a total transaction of $1,710,577.44. Following the sale, the director directly owned 18,359 shares in the company, valued at $4,095,525.72. This trade represents a 29.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 4,366 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.10, for a total transaction of $1,061,374.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 5,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,404,388.70. This trade represents a 43.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 312,053 shares of company stock worth $64,527,735 over the last quarter. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Natera Stock Up 0.4%

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $231.95 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $32.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -101.29 and a beta of 1.63. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $125.38 and a twelve month high of $246.90. The business’s fifty day moving average is $206.71 and its 200 day moving average is $176.50.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.39) by ($0.25). Natera had a negative net margin of 14.61% and a negative return on equity of 25.07%. The firm had revenue of $592.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $514.55 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.26) earnings per share. Natera’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.