Natera, Inc. $NTRA Holdings Lowered by Calamos Advisors LLC

Calamos Advisors LLC decreased its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 48.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,246 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 3,976 shares during the quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $849,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 132.9% during the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Natera by 3,373.1% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 11,253 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,251,000 after buying an additional 10,929 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 6.9% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,679 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $736,000 after buying an additional 237 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the first quarter worth about $70,000. Finally, First Horizon Corp increased its position in shares of Natera by 5.5% in the first quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 982 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $196,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $269.83 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $131.81 and a fifty-two week high of $288.04. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $232.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $220.05. The firm has a market cap of $38.64 billion, a P/E ratio of -165.54 and a beta of 1.51.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.21, for a total transaction of $2,389,310.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,343,009.43. This trade represents a 64.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,964 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.78, for a total transaction of $642,535.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $677,220.72. This trade represents a 48.69% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 178,872 shares of company stock worth $39,627,696 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $265.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research cut shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group set a $260.00 target price on Natera in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $267.83.

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.