Farallon Capital Management LLC Decreases Stock Position in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Farallon Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 11.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,253,452 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 568,357 shares during the period. Natera accounts for 2.8% of Farallon Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Farallon Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $684,678,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $221,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 68.3% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,552 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $644,000 after buying an additional 1,847 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 8.6% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,993 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $847,000 after buying an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $298,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in Natera by 29.6% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,453 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Down 1.3%

NTRA opened at $187.85 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.62 billion, a P/E ratio of -122.78 and a beta of 1.65. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $219.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $206.72. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $125.38 and a 12-month high of $256.36.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.46) by $0.81. The company had revenue of $665.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $600.68 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 15.28% and a negative net margin of 9.03%.During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.41) EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 37,175 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were 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 owned 64,123 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,552,392.42. This represents a 36.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 85,299 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 127,881 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,504,704.32. This represents a 40.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 318,222 shares of company stock valued at $74,068,068 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on NTRA shares. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Natera from $239.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Natera from $265.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. BTIG Research upped their price target on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Natera from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.