California State Teachers Retirement System Sells 4,104 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• California State Teachers Retirement System reduced its Natera stake by 2.0%, selling 4,104 shares and retaining 197,815 shares valued at approximately $39.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 99.90% of Natera.
• Natera insiders sold 173,951 shares worth about $39.4 million over the past 90 days, including significant sales by Director Roelof Botha and CEO Steven Leonard Chapman.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $267.83; several firms recently raised targets as high as $330.

California State Teachers Retirement System lowered its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 2.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 197,815 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 4,104 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.14% of Natera worth $39,561,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Palladiem LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter worth about $32,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 132.9% during the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 103.8% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, Director Roelof Botha sold 78,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,076,198 shares of the company's stock, valued at $237,097,181.38. The trade was a 6.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.03, for a total value of $9,089,637.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 108,743 shares in the company, valued at $24,035,465.29. This represents a 27.44% 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. Insiders sold a total of 173,951 shares of company stock worth $39,412,294 in the last ninety days. 5.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on NTRA shares. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Natera in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $260.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Natera from $250.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Natera from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $267.83.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of Natera stock opened at $267.76 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $38.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -164.27 and a beta of 1.51. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $131.81 and a 1 year high of $288.04. The firm's 50-day moving average is $246.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $222.22.

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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