Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $109.97 Million Stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 31.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 694,667 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 317,831 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Natera were worth $109,966,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Natera by 104.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Natera by 345.8% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in Natera by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in Natera by 34.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the third quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. The trade was a 22.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total transaction of $117,861.51. Following the sale, the insider now owns 156,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,739,941.88. The trade was a 0.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 295,772 shares of company stock worth $49,741,699. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $169.38 on Wednesday. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $68.03 and a 12-month high of $183.00. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $167.86 and its 200 day moving average is $143.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -96.24 and a beta of 1.66.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen upped their target price on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com cut Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.88.

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.