Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Has $11.48 Million Holdings in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 25.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 45,835 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,424 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $11,476,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Natera by 9.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,628,914 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,871,914,000 after purchasing an additional 1,003,129 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,096,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of Natera by 63.2% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 148,247 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $23,863,000 after buying an additional 57,400 shares during the period. SWS Partners lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 11.8% during the third quarter. SWS Partners now owns 47,037 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $7,572,000 after acquiring an additional 4,980 shares during the period. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its holdings in Natera by 192.5% in the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 8,531 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,373,000 after acquiring an additional 5,614 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,623 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.13, for a total value of $1,147,822.99. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 156,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,968,186.91. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 707 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.13, for a total value of $144,319.91. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 189,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,621,191.87. This trade represents a 0.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 318,344 shares of company stock valued at $74,091,416. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NTRA has been the topic of a number of research reports. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $300.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research upgraded Natera from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 1st. Barclays upped their price objective on Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Natera from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.47.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA opened at $196.15 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $211.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $208.05. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $125.38 and a 52-week high of $256.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.80 billion, a PE ratio of -128.20 and a beta of 1.65.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by $0.81. The company had revenue of $665.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $600.68 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 9.03% and a negative return on equity of 15.28%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.41) earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Natera Profile

Natera is a global diagnostics company that develops and commercializes cell-free DNA and other genetic testing technologies for clinical applications. The company focuses on three principal areas: reproductive health (including non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening), oncology (tumor-informed assays for minimal residual disease and recurrence monitoring), and organ transplantation (cell-free DNA tests to detect allograft injury). Natera combines laboratory testing, proprietary bioinformatics, and clinical reporting to deliver personalized genetic information to clinicians and patients.

Key product offerings include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and select single-gene conditions; Horizon carrier screening for inherited conditions; Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay used for detecting minimal residual disease and monitoring treatment response in cancer patients; and Prospera, a donor-derived cell-free DNA test used to assess the risk of organ rejection.