Natera, Inc. $NTRA Stake Increased by ABN Amro Investment Solutions

ABN Amro Investment Solutions grew its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 44.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,346 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,883 shares during the period. ABN Amro Investment Solutions’ holdings in Natera were worth $1,869,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 132.9% during the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust boosted its position in shares of Natera by 103.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.03, for a total transaction of $9,089,637.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 108,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,035,465.29. The trade was a 27.44% decrease in their position. 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. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.21, for a total value of $2,389,310.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 6,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,343,009.43. This represents a 64.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 178,872 shares of company stock valued at $39,627,696 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on NTRA. Barclays decreased their price target on Natera from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Natera in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price target for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on Natera from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, UBS Group set a $260.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $267.83.

Natera Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of Natera stock opened at $261.99 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $131.81 and a 12-month high of $288.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $240.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $221.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.52 billion, a P/E ratio of -160.73 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.