Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 213,771 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lessened its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 52.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 192,882 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 213,771 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Natera were worth $24,486,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Quent Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 3,205 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $293,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 32.7% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 430 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Natera by 5.4% during the third quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,646 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $336,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in Natera by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,721 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $346,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Natera by 148.4% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $117.67 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $14.55 billion, a PE ratio of -48.03 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a quick ratio of 4.01, a current ratio of 4.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $123.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.24. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $36.90 and a twelve month high of $133.54.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.69) by $0.39. The company had revenue of $413.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.00 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 21.47% and a negative return on equity of 36.74%. Natera’s quarterly revenue was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.97) EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.96 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on NTRA. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, September 13th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Natera from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 12,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.01, for a total value of $1,452,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 287,441 shares in the company, valued at $34,783,235.41. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 12,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.01, for a total value of $1,452,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 287,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,783,235.41. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.65, for a total value of $185,946.90. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 71,955 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,170,315.75. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,149 shares of company stock valued at $6,007,018 over the last three months. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.