Empowered Funds LLC Takes $5.03 Million Position in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC acquired 18,541 Natera shares during the second quarter, valued at approximately $5.03 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 99.90% of Natera’s outstanding stock.
• Natera reported quarterly revenue of $752.75 million, up 37.7% year over year and above analyst estimates, while its adjusted loss of $0.47 per share was slightly better than expected.
• Natera shares opened at $321.96, near their 52-week high, while analysts maintained a generally positive outlook with a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $319.38.

Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 18,541 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $5,033,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,854,334 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,944,800,000 after buying an additional 1,225,420 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter worth $2,962,770,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 94.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,976,325 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,140,026,000 after purchasing an additional 2,420,263 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Natera by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,389,599 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $545,624,000 after purchasing an additional 72,087 shares during the period. Finally, Coatue Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Natera by 1,446.1% in the 4th quarter. Coatue Management LLC now owns 2,633,334 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $603,270,000 after purchasing an additional 2,463,008 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Trading Down 1.3%

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $321.96 on Tuesday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $286.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $234.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -236.73 and a beta of 1.51. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $157.43 and a 1-year high of $343.18.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.49) by $0.02. Natera had a negative return on equity of 11.38% and a negative net margin of 7.11%.The firm had revenue of $752.75 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $661.24 million. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.74) EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 478 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.22, for a total value of $131,077.16. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 51,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,159,898.14. This represents a 0.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 3,076 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.39, for a total transaction of $819,415.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 99,897 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,611,561.83. This represents a 2.99% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 103,472 shares of company stock valued at $24,960,134 over the last ninety days. 5.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Leerink Partners set a $330.00 price objective on Natera in a report on Friday, August 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $348.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $375.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $355.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Two 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $319.38.

Natera 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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