Exome Asset Management LLC Sells 3,800 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Exome Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in Natera, Inc. by 16.9%, now holding 18,650 shares valued at $2.6 million as of the end of the last quarter.
• Price T Rowe Associates Inc. increased its position in Natera by 56.3%, becoming one of its largest stakeholders with over 10.5 million shares worth approximately $1.49 billion.
• Natera's recent earnings report showed a revenue increase of 32.2% year-over-year, although it reported an EPS of ($0.74), missing expectations.

Exome Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 16.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,650 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 3,800 shares during the quarter. Natera comprises about 2.2% of Exome Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position. Exome Asset Management LLC's holdings in Natera were worth $2,637,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 36.0% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,737 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,225,000 after buying an additional 2,048 shares during the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $242,000. Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 26.6% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 86,239 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $13,652,000 after buying an additional 18,113 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 35.4% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,519 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $874,000 after buying an additional 1,442 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on NTRA. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 8th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $220.00 price objective (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Sunday, August 10th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $194.00.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,045 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.40, for a total value of $418,383.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 65,430 shares in the company, valued at $8,990,082. This trade represents a 4.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.77, for a total transaction of $500,310.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 130,205 shares in the company, valued at $21,714,287.85. This represents a 2.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 56,423 shares of company stock worth $8,459,656 over the last quarter. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $4.02 during trading on Thursday, reaching $173.81. 697,751 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 979,296. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $117.27 and a 12 month high of $183.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.86 billion, a P/E ratio of -91.00 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a 50 day moving average of $155.04 and a 200-day moving average of $154.09.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.74) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.60) by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $546.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $476.84 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 12.89% and a negative return on equity of 22.22%. The company's revenue was up 32.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.30) earnings per share. Natera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natera Profile

Natera, Inc, a diagnostics company, develops and commercializes molecular testing services worldwide. Its products include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities of a fetus, as well as in twin pregnancies; Horizon carrier screening test for individuals and couples determine if they are carriers of genetic variations that cause certain genetic conditions; Vistara single-gene NIPT screens for 25 single-gene disorders that cause severe skeletal, cardiac, and neurological conditions; Spectrum, preimplantation genetic tests for couples undergoing IVF; Anora that analyzes miscarriage tissue from women; Empower, a hereditary cancer screening test; and non-invasive prenatal paternity product, which allows a couple to establish paternity without waiting for the child to be born.