Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Sells 11,289 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer reduced its Natera stake by 31.1%, selling 11,289 shares and retaining 25,022 shares worth approximately $10.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 99.9% of Natera.
• Natera insiders sold shares in recent months, including CEO and CFO transactions conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. Insiders sold 45,256 shares worth $16.5 million over the past three months.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $394.31 price target. Natera’s latest quarterly revenue rose 37.7% year over year to $752.75 million, exceeding estimates.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich reduced its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 31.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 25,022 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 11,289 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich's holdings in Natera were worth $10,345,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Natera during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Continuum Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Natera in the second quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Burkett Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Natera in the 3rd quarter worth about $57,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Steven Chapman sold 3,430 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.34, for a total transaction of $1,462,346.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 91,232 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,895,850.88. This represents a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 Brophy sold 1,906 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.55, for a total value of $811,098.30. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 46,574 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,819,565.70. The trade was a 3.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 45,256 shares of company stock valued at $16,455,344. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on NTRA. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $350.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $340.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Roth Capital started coverage on Natera in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $475.00 price target for the company. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Natera from $305.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $394.31.

Key Natera News

Here are the key news stories impacting Natera this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: The CFO’s reported sale of 1,178 shares was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, which may indicate scheduled portfolio diversification rather than a change in management’s outlook. The CFO retained 48,480 shares after the transaction. SEC insider transaction filing

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA opened at $378.92 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $378.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $267.14. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $181.00 and a fifty-two week high of $437.41.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Natera had a negative net margin of 7.11% and a negative return on equity of 11.38%. The business had revenue of $752.75 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $661.24 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.74) earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 37.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.14 earnings per share for the current year.

About Natera

Natera, Inc is a diagnostics company that develops and commercializes molecular testing services designed to provide personalized genetic and genomic information. Its tests are used across reproductive health, oncology and organ transplantation, with the company combining next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics to analyze DNA and monitor disease-related signals.

In reproductive health, Natera offers Panorama noninvasive prenatal screening, Horizon carrier screening and Vistara single-gene disorder screening.

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