Avala Global LP Makes New $124.87 Million Investment in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Avala Global LP acquired 460,000 Natera shares worth approximately $124.9 million, making Natera its sixth-largest holding and representing about 4.6% of its portfolio. Institutional investors collectively own 99.9% of Natera’s stock.
• Analysts maintain a generally bullish outlook, with Natera receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $319.38; several firms recently raised their targets to between $340 and $375.
• Natera’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with revenue rising 37.7% year over year to $752.75 million and adjusted EPS of negative $0.47 versus an expected negative $0.49. Shares opened at $338.45, near their 52-week high of $340.96, despite the company remaining unprofitable.

Avala Global LP acquired a new stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 460,000 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $124,867,000. Natera comprises about 4.6% of Avala Global LP's holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Avala Global LP owned approximately 0.32% of Natera as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 68.3% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,552 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 1,847 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in Natera by 8.6% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,993 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $847,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Natera during the second quarter worth approximately $298,000. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in Natera during the second quarter worth approximately $558,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 3,076 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.39, for a total value of $819,415.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 99,897 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,611,561.83. The trade was a 2.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 478 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.22, for a total value of $131,077.16. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 51,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,159,898.14. This trade represents a 0.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders have sold a total of 177,955 shares of company stock valued at $40,704,193 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 5.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTRA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Natera from $315.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Zacks Research raised Natera from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Natera from $249.00 to $363.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $375.00 price target on Natera in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $340.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $319.38.

Natera Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $338.45 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $48.78 billion, a P/E ratio of -248.86 and a beta of 1.51. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $157.43 and a 1-year high of $340.96. The business's 50 day moving average is $281.03 and its 200-day moving average is $232.01.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.49) by $0.02. The business had revenue of $752.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.24 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 11.38% and a negative net margin of 7.11%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 37.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.74) EPS. Analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.02 EPS for the current year.

Natera 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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