Candriam S.C.A. Decreases Stock Holdings in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. cut its Natera stake by 13.6% in Q1, selling 13,469 shares and ending with 85,677 shares valued at about $17.1 million.
• Insider selling has also been notable: CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares in a Rule 10b5-1 transaction, and insiders sold a total of 178,872 shares over the last three months.
• Natera shares fell 4.2% to $269.95 in Friday trading, even as analysts maintained a generally positive view with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $265.33.

Candriam S.C.A. decreased its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 13.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 85,677 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 13,469 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. owned 0.06% of Natera worth $17,135,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,679 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $736,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Natera in the 1st quarter worth approximately $70,000. First Horizon Corp increased its holdings in Natera by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 982 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $196,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 20.4% during the first quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,906 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,581,000 after purchasing an additional 1,338 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 38,624 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $7,648,000 after buying an additional 940 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.03, for a total transaction of $9,089,637.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 108,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,035,465.29. The trade was a 27.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,405 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.69, for a total value of $693,564.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 142,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,984,068.55. The trade was a 2.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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 178,872 shares of company stock worth $39,627,696 in the last three months. 5.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Natera Stock Down 4.2%

NASDAQ:NTRA traded down $11.90 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $269.95. The company's stock had a trading volume of 969,702 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,642,286. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $227.53 and a 200-day moving average of $219.09. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $131.81 and a 1 year high of $288.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.66 billion, a PE ratio of -165.61 and a beta of 1.51.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, June 5th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $245.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Natera from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $249.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Natera in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $265.33.

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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