Swedbank AB Cuts Stake in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Swedbank AB lowered its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 5.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 45,534 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 2,650 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Natera were worth $9,106,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new position in Natera in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust lifted its stake in Natera by 103.8% in the fourth 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 Natera during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Roelof Botha sold 78,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.31, for a total transaction of $17,184,180.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,076,198 shares in the company, valued at $237,097,181.38. This represents a 6.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,183 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,343,009.43. The trade was a 64.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 178,872 shares of company stock worth $39,627,696 over the last quarter. Insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of Natera stock traded down $11.90 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $269.95. The company had a trading volume of 969,702 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,642,286. The firm has a market cap of $38.66 billion, a PE ratio of -165.61 and a beta of 1.51. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $131.81 and a one year high of $288.04. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $227.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $219.09.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Natera from $250.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Wolfe Research started coverage on Natera in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird set a $265.00 price objective on Natera in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, William Blair started coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Natera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $265.33.

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.