DNB Asset Management AS Has $5.68 Million Holdings in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• DNB Asset Management AS reduced its stake in Natera by 36.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 14,135 shares and ending with 24,790 shares valued at about $5.68 million.
• Institutional interest in Natera remains strong overall, with several large funds increasing holdings and 99.90% of the stock owned by institutions and hedge funds.
• Natera recently beat earnings expectations, reporting $0.35 EPS on revenue of $665.5 million, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $256.60.

DNB Asset Management AS cut its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 36.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,790 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 14,135 shares during the period. DNB Asset Management AS's holdings in Natera were worth $5,679,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Natera by 9.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,628,914 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,871,914,000 after buying an additional 1,003,129 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 37.5% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,665,013 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $428,987,000 after purchasing an additional 727,366 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 39.0% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,400,065 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $386,338,000 after purchasing an additional 673,315 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 215.7% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 527,942 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $84,983,000 after purchasing an additional 360,733 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 5,965.1% in the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 343,768 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $78,754,000 after purchasing an additional 338,100 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 482 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.49, for a total value of $101,456.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 57,496 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,102,333.04. The trade was a 0.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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, insider John Fesko sold 291 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.16, for a total transaction of $59,992.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 187,220 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,597,275.20. The trade was a 0.16% decrease in their position. 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 38,266 shares of company stock worth $7,747,808. Insiders own 5.63% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of Natera stock opened at $192.54 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $200.74 and a 200-day moving average of $215.27. The stock has a market cap of $27.57 billion, a PE ratio of -118.12 and a beta of 1.57. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $131.81 and a 52-week high of $256.36.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.46) by $0.81. The company had revenue of $665.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $600.68 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 9.05% and a negative return on equity of 14.74%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.41) earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NTRA has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Natera from $265.00 to $250.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Natera from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective 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. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $265.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $256.60.

Natera Company 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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