HighTower Advisors LLC Buys 66,896 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors increased its Natera stake by 740% in the fourth quarter, adding 66,896 shares and bringing its total holding to 75,936 shares worth about $17.4 million.
• Natera recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.35 versus the consensus loss estimate and revenue of $665.5 million, above analyst forecasts.
• Despite mixed sentiment, Wall Street remains broadly positive on Natera, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $256.60, even as some insiders sold shares under pre-arranged trading plans.

HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 740.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 75,936 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 66,896 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned about 0.05% of Natera worth $17,396,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new position in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in Natera by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 270 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. bought a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $62,000. Finally, AXS Investments LLC bought a new position in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at about $69,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Down 0.2%

Natera stock opened at $203.19 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $131.81 and a 52 week high of $256.36. The company's 50 day moving average price is $200.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $215.33. The stock has a market cap of $29.10 billion, a P/E ratio of -124.66 and a beta of 1.57.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by $0.81. Natera had a negative net margin of 9.05% and a negative return on equity of 14.74%. The firm had revenue of $665.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $600.68 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.41) EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,838 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.14, for a total transaction of $1,191,769.32. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 150,769 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,777,983.66. This trade represents a 3.73% 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, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,070 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.74, for a total transaction of $594,781.80. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 58,291 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,293,298.34. This represents a 5.00% 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. Insiders sold 38,266 shares of company stock worth $7,747,808 in the last quarter. 5.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on NTRA. William Blair began coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $249.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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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