Natera, Inc. $NTRA Shares Bought by Intech Investment Management LLC

Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 130.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,625 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,621 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $1,060,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Natera during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 270 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. acquired a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Natera by 123.4% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 324 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on NTRA. BTIG Research cut their price objective on shares of Natera from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $245.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $249.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price 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, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $256.12.

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,070 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.74, for a total value of $594,781.80. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 58,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,293,298.34. The trade was a 5.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.03, for a total transaction of $9,089,637.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 108,743 shares in the company, valued at $24,035,465.29. This represents a 27.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 156,530 shares of company stock valued at $33,914,062. 5.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA opened at $215.31 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.83 billion, a P/E ratio of -132.09 and a beta of 1.56. The company’s fifty day moving average is $204.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $216.06. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $131.81 and a 1 year high of $256.36.

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.