Intech Investment Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 130.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,625 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 2,621 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $1,060,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 270 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 123.4% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 324 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Down 3.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $215.31 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $204.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $216.06. The stock has a market cap of $30.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -132.09 and a beta of 1.56. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $131.81 and a fifty-two week high of $256.36.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 1,438 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $202.84, for a total value of $291,683.92. Following the sale, the insider owned 185,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,684,020.88. This trade represents a 0.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.43, for a total transaction of $655,290.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 137,643 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,065,360.49. This trade represents a 2.13% 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 have sold 156,530 shares of company stock valued at $33,914,062 over the last quarter. Insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. William Blair assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Natera from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $249.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $256.12.

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.