Natera, Inc. $NTRA Shares Sold by Torray Investment Partners LLC

Torray Investment Partners LLC lessened its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 20.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,569 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 2,531 shares during the period. Torray Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $1,914,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of NTRA. Horizon Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 244 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 270 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Natera by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 1,541 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $353,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp grew its holdings in Natera by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 982 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $196,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH increased its position in Natera by 3.1% during the third quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 1,804 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $290,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on NTRA. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Natera in a report on Friday, June 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $245.00 price target for the company. BTIG Research set a $275.00 price objective on Natera and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $265.33.

Natera Stock Down 4.2%

Shares of Natera stock traded down $11.90 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $269.95. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 969,702 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,642,286. The business has a fifty day moving average of $227.53 and a 200 day moving average of $219.09. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $131.81 and a 1-year high of $288.04. The company has a market capitalization of $38.66 billion, a PE ratio of -165.61 and a beta of 1.51.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.03, for a total value of $9,089,637.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 108,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,035,465.29. This represents a 27.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.21, for a total value of $2,389,310.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,183 shares in the company, valued at $1,343,009.43. This trade represents a 64.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 178,872 shares of company stock worth $39,627,696 in the last quarter. Insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

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.