Panagora Asset Management Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 42.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 393,420 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 116,951 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.28% of Natera worth $90,129,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Robinhood Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at about $12,981,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Natera by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,628,914 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,871,914,000 after acquiring an additional 1,003,129 shares during the period. Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC now owns 132,500 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $21,329,000 after acquiring an additional 8,400 shares during the period. Systrade AG purchased a new position in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at about $11,454,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,069,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NTRA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. William Blair initiated coverage on Natera in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Natera in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 target price for the company. BTIG Research lowered their target price on Natera from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen cut Natera from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Natera in a research note on Thursday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $256.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,405 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.69, for a total value of $693,564.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 142,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,984,068.55. This trade represents a 2.34% 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, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,070 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.74, for a total value of $594,781.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 58,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,293,298.34. The trade was a 5.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 159,378 shares of company stock worth $34,640,860. Corporate insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA opened at $212.07 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $206.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $215.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.37 billion, a PE ratio of -130.10 and a beta of 1.56. 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.