Natera, Inc. $NTRA Shares Purchased by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 5.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 45,797 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 2,466 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Natera were worth $7,372,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,096,000. SWS Partners raised its holdings in Natera by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. SWS Partners now owns 47,037 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $7,572,000 after buying an additional 4,980 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in Natera by 63.2% in the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 148,247 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $23,863,000 after buying an additional 57,400 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its position in Natera by 192.5% in the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 8,531 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,373,000 after buying an additional 5,614 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Krilogy Financial LLC purchased a new position in Natera during the third quarter worth about $1,323,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 23,205 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.74, for a total transaction of $5,447,141.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 144,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,035,422.08. The trade was a 13.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 37,175 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.54, for a total transaction of $9,016,424.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 64,123 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,552,392.42. This trade represents a 36.70% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 450,787 shares of company stock valued at $105,376,360 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on NTRA shares. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Natera from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Stephens raised their price target on Natera from $197.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Natera from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $249.20.

Natera Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $211.25 on Wednesday. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $125.38 and a 52 week high of $256.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.22 billion, a PE ratio of -92.25 and a beta of 1.64. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $229.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $200.54.

About Natera

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.