HighTower Advisors LLC Has $1.16 Million Stake in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Natera, Inc. by 27.4% during the first quarter, owning 8,235 shares valued at approximately $1.16 million after selling 3,107 shares.
• CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,111 shares of Natera stock for about $960,038, resulting in a 3.3% decrease in his holdings, while insiders sold a total of 58,705 shares worth approximately $8.74 million over the last quarter.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook on Natera, with firms like Morgan Stanley and Piper Sandler issuing price targets of $195.00 and $220.00 respectively, reflecting a consensus average price target of $193.19 for the stock.

HighTower Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 27.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,235 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 3,107 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in Natera were worth $1,164,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 2.0% during the first quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 3,652 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $516,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 1.5% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,417 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $766,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 5.0% during the first quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,737 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $246,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 5.5% during the first quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,676 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 1,325 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $210,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Natera Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NTRA traded up $0.37 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $168.25. The stock had a trading volume of 773,706 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,538,502. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $154.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $154.04. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $110.57 and a one year high of $183.00. The firm has a market cap of $23.09 billion, a PE ratio of -88.09 and a beta of 1.76.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on NTRA. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and set a $210.00 price objective (up from $190.00) on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 8th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $220.00 target price (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Natera from $251.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $193.19.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, insider John Fesko sold 678 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.46, for a total transaction of $105,401.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 152,747 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,746,048.62. This trade represents a 0.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,807 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.88, for a total transaction of $771,634.16. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 163,593 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,738,237.84. This represents a 3.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 58,705 shares of company stock worth $8,743,776 in the last quarter. 5.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Natera Company 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.