Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS Has $11.44 Million Position in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Kornitzer Capital Management cut its stake in Natera by 43.4%, leaving 49,929 shares worth about $11.44 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 99.9% of the stock.
• Natera beat estimates for the quarter with EPS of $0.35 (consensus -$0.46) and revenue of $665.5M (consensus $600.7M), but the company remains unprofitable with a -9.03% net margin and negative ROE.
• Insiders have sold heavily—CEO Steven Chapman sold 85,299 shares and insiders disposed of 138,069 shares (~$30.9M) in three months—while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus and a $253.47 average price target.

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS reduced its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 43.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 49,929 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 38,245 shares during the period. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS's holdings in Natera were worth $11,438,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NTRA. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Natera in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Natera in the third quarter valued at about $46,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in Natera by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 270 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. acquired a new position in Natera in the fourth quarter valued at about $62,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $207.28 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $131.81 and a 1-year high of $256.36. The company has a market cap of $29.50 billion, a PE ratio of -135.48 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a 50-day moving average of $202.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $213.75.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.46) by $0.81. Natera had a negative net margin of 9.03% and a negative return on equity of 15.28%. The company had revenue of $665.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $600.68 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.41) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NTRA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, January 12th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $253.47.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.85, for a total value of $599,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 150,023 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,982,096.55. The trade was a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 85,299 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.72, for a total transaction of $19,680,185.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 127,881 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,504,704.32. This represents a 40.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 138,069 shares of company stock valued at $30,896,634. Insiders own 5.63% of the company's stock.

About Natera

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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