Amova Asset Management Americas Inc. Has $84.69 Million Stake in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Amova Asset Management Americas cut its Natera stake by 10.1% in the first quarter, but still owned 423,424 shares worth about $84.7 million at quarter-end.
• Institutional ownership in Natera remains extremely high at 99.9%, and several other funds recently increased or initiated positions in the medical diagnostics company.
• Analysts are generally positive on Natera, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $267.83, though one firm recently downgraded the stock to hold.

Amova Asset Management Americas Inc. reduced its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 10.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 423,424 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 47,660 shares during the quarter. Natera makes up 1.2% of Amova Asset Management Americas Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Amova Asset Management Americas Inc. owned approximately 0.30% of Natera worth $84,685,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Robinhood Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Natera in the fourth quarter valued at $12,981,000. Systrade AG acquired a new stake in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at $11,454,000. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG bought a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter worth about $2,825,000. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 19.4% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 438,857 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $100,538,000 after buying an additional 71,355 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 45,835 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $11,476,000 after buying an additional 9,424 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on NTRA. Barclays lowered their target price on Natera from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Natera from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $249.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Natera from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $267.83.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $262.63 on Tuesday. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $131.81 and a 52 week high of $288.04. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $235.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $220.56. The firm has a market cap of $37.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -161.12 and a beta of 1.51.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, Director Roelof Botha sold 78,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.31, for a total transaction of $17,184,180.00. Following the sale, the director owned 1,076,198 shares of the company's stock, valued at $237,097,181.38. This represents a 6.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,405 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.69, for a total value of $693,564.45. Following the transaction, the insider owned 142,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,984,068.55. This trade represents a 2.34% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last three months, insiders sold 178,872 shares of company stock valued at $39,627,696. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Natera Company 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.

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