Beaconlight Capital LLC Has $14.47 Million Position in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Beaconlight Capital increased its Natera position by 58.7% in the second quarter, purchasing 19,723 additional shares. Its 53,312-share stake was valued at $14.47 million and represented 5.1% of the fund’s portfolio.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with Natera receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $319.38. Several firms recently raised their targets to $350 or higher.
• Natera reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, including revenue of $752.75 million—up 37.7% year over year—and an adjusted loss of $0.47 per share versus the $0.49 consensus loss estimate. The stock opened at $326.26, near its 52-week high of $343.18.

Beaconlight Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 58.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,312 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,723 shares during the quarter. Natera accounts for approximately 5.1% of Beaconlight Capital LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Beaconlight Capital LLC's holdings in Natera were worth $14,472,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NTRA. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new stake in Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Natera in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Palladiem LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Stephens lifted their target price on Natera from $305.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Piper Sandler raised 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. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Natera from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Natera from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, June 5th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $245.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $319.38.

Natera Stock Performance

NTRA stock opened at $326.26 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $47.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -239.90 and a beta of 1.51. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $285.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.78. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $157.43 and a one year high of $343.18.

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, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $661.24 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.74) earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 37.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 6,517 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.53, for a total transaction of $2,095,411.01. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 197,257 shares of the company's stock, valued at $63,424,043.21. This trade represents a 3.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at 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, Director Herm Rosenman sold 16,530 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $4,132,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,062,500. The trade was a 79.55% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 103,472 shares of company stock worth $24,960,134 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 5.05% of the company's stock.

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.

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