Encore Global Management LP Invests $1.20 Million in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Encore Global Management initiated a $1.2 million position in Natera during the first quarter by purchasing 6,000 shares. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 99.9% of the company.
• Natera shares opened at $252.22, near the middle of their 52-week range, while insiders sold 164,101 shares worth approximately $36.6 million over the past 90 days through mostly pre-arranged plans.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $267.83, though individual targets range from $245 to $300.

Encore Global Management LP bought a new position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 6,000 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $1,200,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Palladiem LLC purchased a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Natera during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust boosted 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 worth $37,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Stock Performance

NTRA stock opened at $252.22 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $243.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $221.55. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $131.81 and a 52 week high of $288.04. The stock has a market cap of $36.12 billion, a P/E ratio of -154.74 and a beta of 1.51.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,405 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.69, for a total transaction of $693,564.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 142,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,984,068.55. This trade represents a 2.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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, Director Herm Rosenman sold 16,530 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $4,132,500.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,062,500. This trade represents a 79.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 164,101 shares of company stock worth $36,644,427 over the last 90 days. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group set a $260.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, June 5th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, July 17th. BTIG Research set a $275.00 target price on shares of Natera and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, July 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $267.83.

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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