Independent Financial Group LLC Makes New Investment in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Independent Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 3,425 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $685,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Natera in the third quarter worth about $32,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 132.9% in the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust increased its stake in shares of Natera by 103.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, Director Roelof Botha sold 78,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.31, for a total transaction of $17,184,180.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,076,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $237,097,181.38. This trade represents a 6.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 108,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,035,465.29. This represents a 27.44% 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. Insiders sold a total of 178,872 shares of company stock worth $39,627,696 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $264.22 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $237.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $221.08. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $131.81 and a 52-week high of $288.04. The company has a market cap of $37.84 billion, a PE ratio of -162.10 and a beta of 1.51.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on NTRA shares. Robert W. Baird set a $265.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, May 8th. William Blair assumed coverage on Natera in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Barclays reduced their price objective on Natera from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on Natera from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $267.83.

About Natera

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.