Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC Reduces Stake in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC trimmed its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 10.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 227,444 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 27,105 shares during the quarter. Natera accounts for about 2.2% of Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $94,005,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,962,770,000. Castle Hook Partners LP boosted its holdings in Natera by 24.1% during the fourth quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,167,869 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $496,637,000 after buying an additional 420,621 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,219,045 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $279,271,000 after buying an additional 110,715 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Natera by 1.0% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,191,732 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $238,334,000 after buying an additional 11,793 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maverick Capital Ltd. grew its position in Natera by 24.1% in the first quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 1,171,633 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $234,315,000 after buying an additional 227,605 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Michael Brophy sold 478 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.22, for a total transaction of $131,077.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 51,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,159,898.14. This trade represents a 0.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $414.22, for a total transaction of $1,242,660.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 106,914 shares in the company, valued at $44,285,917.08. The trade was a 2.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 52,985 shares of company stock valued at $16,119,137. 5.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Natera Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NTRA traded down $4.77 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $390.79. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,443,193 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,409,399. The business has a fifty day moving average of $341.55 and a 200 day moving average of $265.84. The company has a market cap of $56.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -287.34 and a beta of 1.50. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $167.99 and a 1 year high of $437.41.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.49) by $0.02. The business had revenue of $752.75 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.24 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 11.38% and a negative net margin of 7.11%.Natera’s revenue for the quarter was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.74) earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NTRA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BTIG Research increased their price objective on Natera from $290.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Barclays boosted their target price on Natera from $340.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Natera from $220.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Natera from $315.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Leerink Partners set a $330.00 price target on Natera in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $353.45.

Natera Company Profile

Natera, Inc is a diagnostics company that develops and commercializes molecular testing services designed to assess genetic and disease-related risks. The company uses technologies including cell-free DNA analysis and next-generation sequencing to support clinical decision-making in reproductive health, oncology and organ transplantation.

Its reproductive health offerings include Panorama, a noninvasive prenatal test that screens for certain chromosomal conditions, and Horizon, a carrier screening test that evaluates whether prospective parents carry genetic variants associated with inherited disorders.