WINTON GROUP Ltd Grows Stake in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

WINTON GROUP Ltd raised its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 112.1% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,000 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 3,700 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in Natera were worth $1,127,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,593,000. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its holdings in Natera by 110.4% in the third quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 5,716 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,999 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the third quarter valued at $265,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased its position in Natera by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 188,480 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,340,000 after purchasing an additional 23,128 shares during the period. Finally, Aptus Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at $213,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $196.61 on Thursday. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $125.38 and a 12 month high of $256.36. The stock has a market cap of $27.87 billion, a PE ratio of -128.50 and a beta of 1.65. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $221.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $206.07.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.46) by $0.81. Natera had a negative net margin of 9.03% and a negative return on equity of 15.28%. The firm had revenue of $665.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $600.68 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.41) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 85,299 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.72, for a total transaction of $19,680,185.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 127,881 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,504,704.32. This trade represents a 40.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 37,175 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.54, for a total value of $9,016,424.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 64,123 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,552,392.42. This represents a 36.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 371,333 shares of company stock valued at $86,162,243. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Natera from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $239.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. BTIG Research increased their price target on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.47.

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.