3,505 Natera, Inc. $NTRA Shares Sold by Torray Investment Partners LLC

Torray Investment Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 36.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,225 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 3,505 shares during the period. Torray Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $2,573,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new position in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Continuum Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the second quarter worth $33,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Natera during the second quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Key Natera News

Here are the key news stories impacting Natera this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New oncology data presented at ESMO may strengthen the case for Natera’s cancer-testing business and broaden investor interest in its growth prospects. Natera stock: ESMO data broaden the oncology case
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus price target is $394.31, slightly above the $388.63 reference opening price, and the consensus rating is “Moderate Buy.” That suggests modest potential upside, though the target is not a guarantee. Natera consensus target price
• Neutral Sentiment: Natera is due to report earnings November 5. The results and outlook could be a near-term catalyst, but the available preview does not provide specific forecasts. Natera to report earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: CFO Michael Brophy sold 1,178 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and retained 48,480 shares. The planned nature and limited size of the sale may temper its significance as a signal about management’s outlook. CFO share sale
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage reported steep share declines, including drops of 6.5% and 8.4% in separate accounts. The headlines do not identify a definitive cause, but the pullback highlights volatility and risk ahead of earnings. Natera after-hours decline

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 6,517 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.53, for a total transaction of $2,095,411.01. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 197,257 shares in the company, valued at $63,424,043.21. This represents a 3.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 Solomon Moshkevich sold 15,160 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.89, for a total value of $4,955,652.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 110,859 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,238,698.51. This represents a 12.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 45,256 shares of company stock worth $16,455,344. Insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on NTRA shares. TD Cowen raised their target price on Natera from $340.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Robert W. Baird set a $348.00 price target on Natera in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Barclays upped their price target on Natera from $340.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Natera from $220.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Stephens raised their price objective on Natera from $305.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $394.31.

Natera Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of Natera stock opened at $388.63 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $379.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $267.89. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $181.00 and a 1-year high of $437.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -285.76 and a beta of 1.55.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.49) by $0.02. Natera had a negative net margin of 7.11% and a negative return on equity of 11.38%. The business had revenue of $752.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.24 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.74) EPS. Natera’s quarterly revenue was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Natera Profile

Natera, Inc is a diagnostics company that develops and commercializes molecular testing services designed to provide personalized genetic and genomic information. Its tests are used across reproductive health, oncology and organ transplantation, with the company combining next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics to analyze DNA and monitor disease-related signals.

In reproductive health, Natera offers Panorama noninvasive prenatal screening, Horizon carrier screening and Vistara single-gene disorder screening.