Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 31.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 694,667 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 317,831 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.53% of Natera worth $109,966,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera by 37.9% during the third quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,302 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $5,243,000 after buying an additional 11,362 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in Natera by 27.0% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 86,144 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $10,936,000 after purchasing an additional 18,316 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Natera in the third quarter valued at approximately $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Natera in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $573,000. Finally, First Turn Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the third quarter valued at approximately $19,760,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on Natera from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Craig Hallum lifted their price objective on Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.88.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, Director Roelof Botha sold 87,473 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.12, for a total value of $14,793,433.76. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,224,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,135,977.44. This trade represents a 6.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 267,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,150,756.13. This represents a 22.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 295,772 shares of company stock worth $49,741,699 in the last 90 days. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $169.38 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $68.03 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $167.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.93. The firm has a market cap of $22.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -96.24 and a beta of 1.66.

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.