Ieq Capital LLC Grows Stake in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Ieq Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 37.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 209,753 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 57,028 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $48,052,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Palladiem LLC purchased a new position in Natera during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust increased its holdings in Natera by 103.8% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, HM Payson & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 214.9% in the 4th quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 211 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on NTRA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Natera in a report on Friday, June 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, May 8th. William Blair started coverage on Natera in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $256.53.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of the business’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 transaction of $2,389,310.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,183 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,343,009.43. The trade was a 64.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Roelof Botha sold 78,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.31, for a total value of $17,184,180.00. Following the sale, the director owned 1,076,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $237,097,181.38. This trade represents a 6.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 159,378 shares of company stock worth $34,640,860 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Down 3.3%

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $212.07 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $30.37 billion, a PE ratio of -130.10 and a beta of 1.56. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $206.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $215.99. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $131.81 and a 52-week high of $256.36.

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.