3,400 Shares in Natera, Inc. $NTRA Purchased by Connective Portfolio Management LLC

Connective Portfolio Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 3,400 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $779,000. Natera comprises about 1.4% of Connective Portfolio Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new position in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 95.7% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 225 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the third quarter valued at about $46,000. Hilltop National Bank raised its position in shares of Natera by 59.8% in the third quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 310 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 256.8% in the second quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 314 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 17,806 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.74, for a total value of $4,179,780.44. Following the sale, the insider owned 177,591 shares in the company, valued at $41,687,711.34. The trade was a 9.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 85,299 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.72, for a total value of $19,680,185.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 127,881 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,504,704.32. This trade represents a 40.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 318,344 shares of company stock valued at $74,091,416. Insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $197.37 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.97 billion, a PE ratio of -129.00 and a beta of 1.65. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $212.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $208.13. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $125.38 and a 12 month high of $256.36.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by $0.81. The business had revenue of $665.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $600.68 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 9.03% and a negative return on equity of 15.28%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.41) EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NTRA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. BTIG Research upped their price target on Natera from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Citigroup started coverage on Natera in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Natera from $265.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. One 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.47.

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.