Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC Buys 8,400 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 132,500 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 8,400 shares during the period. Natera accounts for approximately 1.5% of Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC owned approximately 0.10% of Natera worth $21,329,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,096,000. SWS Partners boosted its stake in Natera by 11.8% in the third quarter. SWS Partners now owns 47,037 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $7,572,000 after buying an additional 4,980 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its position in Natera by 63.2% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 148,247 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $23,863,000 after purchasing an additional 57,400 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its stake in Natera by 192.5% in the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 8,531 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,373,000 after purchasing an additional 5,614 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Natera by 277.8% during the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 26,624 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,498,000 after buying an additional 19,576 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Down 0.8%

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $206.23 on Tuesday. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $125.38 and a 12 month high of $256.36. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $229.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $200.00. The stock has a market cap of $28.53 billion, a P/E ratio of -90.06 and a beta of 1.64.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 6,939 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.83, for a total transaction of $1,580,912.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,120 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,874,499.60. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 3,594 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.02, for a total transaction of $830,285.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 178,081 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,140,272.62. This represents 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 455,899 shares of company stock valued at $106,475,440 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NTRA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded Natera from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 1st. Evercore boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. BTIG Research boosted their price target on Natera from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Natera to a “hold” rating and set a $172.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $300.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $249.20.

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.