Cwm LLC Acquires 12,008 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Cwm LLC increased its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 16.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 82,933 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 12,008 shares during the period. Cwm LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $18,999,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of NTRA. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new position in Natera during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in Natera during the third quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Hilltop National Bank grew its holdings in Natera by 59.8% during the third quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 310 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTRA has been the subject of several research reports. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $239.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.47.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 23,205 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.74, for a total value of $5,447,141.70. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 144,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,035,422.08. This trade represents a 13.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 17,806 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.74, for a total transaction of $4,179,780.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 177,591 shares in the company, valued at $41,687,711.34. This trade represents a 9.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 314,545 shares of company stock valued at $73,141,185. 5.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Natera Trading Up 6.3%

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $208.40 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $131.81 and a 1-year high of $256.36. The company has a 50 day moving average of $203.35 and a 200-day moving average of $211.47. The company has a market cap of $29.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -136.21 and a beta of 1.68.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.46) by $0.81. The company had revenue of $665.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.41) earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

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.