SG Americas Securities LLC Raises Stock Position in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 45.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,609 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,691 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $10,721,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NTRA. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new position in Natera during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new position in Natera during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. 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 valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. William Blair started coverage on Natera in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Natera from $265.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Natera in a research report on Friday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $310.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Natera in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $259.22.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, Director Herm Rosenman sold 16,530 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $4,132,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,062,500. This trade represents a 79.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.21, for a total transaction of $2,389,310.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,343,009.43. This represents a 64.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 178,872 shares of company stock valued at $39,415,896. 5.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA opened at $261.91 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $212.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $215.87. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $131.81 and a 1-year high of $271.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.51 billion, a PE ratio of -160.68 and a beta of 1.56.

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.