Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Sells 25,328 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 51.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,308 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 25,328 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Natera were worth $3,913,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Natera by 9.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,628,914 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,871,914,000 after buying an additional 1,003,129 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,096,000. SWS Partners grew its stake in shares of Natera by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter. SWS Partners now owns 47,037 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $7,572,000 after acquiring an additional 4,980 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Natera by 63.2% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 148,247 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $23,863,000 after acquiring an additional 57,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in Natera by 192.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 8,531 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,373,000 after acquiring an additional 5,614 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $209.35 on Tuesday. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $125.38 and a 12-month high of $256.36. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $227.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $202.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -91.42 and a beta of 1.64.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on NTRA shares. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $249.20.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 3,594 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.02, for a total transaction of $830,285.88. Following the sale, the insider owned 178,081 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,140,272.62. This represents a 1.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 1,639 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.77, for a total transaction of $378,232.03. Following the transaction, the insider owned 137,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,810,952.19. This trade represents a 1.18% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 368,119 shares of company stock worth $85,956,782. 5.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Natera Company 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.