Empowered Funds LLC Sells 9,708 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC cut its Natera stake by 65.9% in the first quarter, selling 9,708 shares and retaining 5,016 shares valued at approximately $1.0 million. Institutional investors collectively own 99.90% of Natera.
• Natera reported quarterly revenue of $752.75 million, up 37.7% year over year and above analyst expectations, while its adjusted loss of $0.47 per share narrowly beat estimates.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $319.38; Natera shares opened at $309.93, near their 52-week high of $326.03.

Empowered Funds LLC decreased its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 65.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,016 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 9,708 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Natera were worth $1,003,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Palladiem LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera by 132.9% in the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust grew its stake 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 worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Price Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $309.93 on Monday. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $156.71 and a one year high of $326.03. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $263.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $226.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -227.89 and a beta of 1.51.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.49) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $752.75 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.24 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 11.38% and a negative net margin of 7.11%.Natera's quarterly revenue was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.74) earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on NTRA shares. Robert W. Baird set a $348.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Natera from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Natera in a report on Friday, June 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $310.00 price target on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $375.00 price target on Natera in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Natera from $220.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $319.38.

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 295 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $267.99, for a total transaction of $79,057.05. Following the sale, the insider owned 183,774 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,249,594.26. This trade represents a 0.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,410 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.58, for a total transaction of $905,627.80. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 129,019 shares in the company, valued at $34,264,866.02. This represents a 2.57% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 181,045 shares of company stock valued at $41,330,968. 5.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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