Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Buys Shares of 8,051 Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 8,051 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,610,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of NTRA. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Palladiem LLC purchased a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust lifted its position in Natera by 103.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Natera in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTRA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $249.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Natera from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Natera from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered Natera from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Natera in a research note on Friday, June 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $267.83.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other Natera news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.21, for a total transaction of $2,389,310.00. Following the sale, the director owned 6,183 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,343,009.43. The trade was a 64.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.03, for a total value of $9,089,637.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 108,743 shares in the company, valued at $24,035,465.29. This represents a 27.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 173,951 shares of company stock worth $39,412,294 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Down 0.7%

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $267.76 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $131.81 and a 12 month high of $288.04. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $246.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $222.22. The company has a market capitalization of $38.35 billion, a P/E ratio of -164.27 and a beta of 1.51.

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.