Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 392,666 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 28.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 983,747 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 392,666 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Natera were worth $106,530,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 6,007.5% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 7,329 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $459,000 after buying an additional 7,209 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera by 41.8% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,867 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $117,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Natera by 378.0% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 64,679 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $4,051,000 after purchasing an additional 51,147 shares during the period. Mission Wealth Management LP purchased a new position in Natera during the fourth quarter valued at $265,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Natera by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,109 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,635,000 after purchasing an additional 3,178 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $118.26 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 4.12, a quick ratio of 3.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -37.90 and a beta of 1.48. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $36.90 and a 12-month high of $124.83. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $111.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $100.42.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.39. The business had revenue of $413.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $343.00 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 49.72% and a negative net margin of 30.24%. The company’s revenue was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.97) EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -2.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.66, for a total transaction of $296,082.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 304,508 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,392,347.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.65, for a total value of $185,946.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 71,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,170,315.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.66, for a total value of $296,082.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 304,508 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,392,347.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 92,388 shares of company stock worth $10,205,064 over the last 90 days. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $142.00 price target for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $120.07.

Natera 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.