Sterling Capital Management LLC Grows Holdings in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 49.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 106,222 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 34,975 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC owned about 0.07% of Natera worth $21,243,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in Natera in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust increased its position in shares of 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 last quarter. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,964 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.78, for a total transaction of $642,535.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $677,220.72. This represents a 48.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Roelof Botha sold 78,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.31, for a total value of $17,184,180.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,076,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $237,097,181.38. This trade represents a 6.76% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 178,872 shares of company stock valued at $39,415,896. Insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays dropped their target price on Natera from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $249.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $259.22.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $261.91 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $212.73 and a 200 day moving average of $215.87. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $131.81 and a 1-year high of $271.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.51 billion, a PE ratio of -160.68 and a beta of 1.56.

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.