NWI Management LP Lowers Stock Holdings in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

NWI Management LP cut its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 8.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 762,603 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 67,700 shares during the period. Natera accounts for 8.7% of NWI Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. NWI Management LP’s holdings in Natera were worth $152,513,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new position in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 132.9% in the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust increased its position in Natera by 103.8% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,863 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total transaction of $464,594.94. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,432 shares in the company, valued at $13,075,492.16. This represents a 3.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at 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, insider John Fesko sold 931 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.07, for a total transaction of $236,539.17. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 184,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,766,410.83. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 173,951 shares of company stock worth $39,412,294. 5.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group set a $260.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Natera from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price objective for the company. 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $267.83.

Natera Stock Performance

NTRA opened at $267.76 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $131.81 and a 52-week high of $288.04. The firm has a market cap of $38.35 billion, a P/E ratio of -164.27 and a beta of 1.51. The business’s fifty day moving average is $246.77 and its 200-day moving average is $222.22.

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.