Quent Capital LLC Purchases 3,019 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Quent Capital LLC increased its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 1,066.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,302 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 3,019 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $756,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new position in Natera in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 270 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. acquired a new stake in Natera in the 4th quarter worth $62,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Natera by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 431 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on NTRA. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Natera from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Natera from $265.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Natera from $239.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 85,299 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.72, for a total transaction of $19,680,185.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 127,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,504,704.32. This trade represents a 40.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider John Fesko sold 3,594 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.02, for a total transaction of $830,285.88. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 178,081 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,140,272.62. The trade was a 1.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 138,257 shares of company stock valued at $31,468,797 over the last quarter. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $203.75 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $202.89 and a 200-day moving average of $213.50. The company has a market capitalization of $28.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -133.17 and a beta of 1.68. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $131.81 and a 52 week high of $256.36.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period last year, the firm earned ($0.41) EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.71 EPS for the current 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.