Natera, Inc. $NTRA Shares Acquired by Lord Abbett & CO. LLC

Key Points

• Lord Abbett & Co. LLC increased its Natera stake by 10% in the fourth quarter, buying 110,715 more shares and bringing its total holding to 1,219,045 shares worth about $279.3 million.
• Other institutions also added to or initiated positions in Natera, and hedge funds and institutional investors now own 99.90% of the company’s stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive but slightly mixed: the stock carries an average “Moderate Buy” rating with a consensus target price of $256.53, though some firms have recently trimmed targets and one analyst downgraded the stock to Hold.

Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 10.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,219,045 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 110,715 shares during the period. Natera makes up approximately 0.9% of Lord Abbett & CO. LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC owned about 0.88% of Natera worth $279,271,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NTRA. Palladiem LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust increased 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 valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, HM Payson & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 214.9% in the fourth quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 211 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $212.07 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $206.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $215.99. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $131.81 and a 1-year high of $256.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.37 billion, a PE ratio of -130.10 and a beta of 1.56.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on NTRA. BTIG Research dropped their target price on Natera from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 11th. William Blair began coverage on Natera in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $265.00 target price on Natera in a report on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Natera from $265.00 to $250.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Natera from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $256.53.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,070 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 owned 58,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,293,298.34. This represents a 5.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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 Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.21, for a total value of $2,389,310.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,183 shares in the company, valued at $1,343,009.43. This represents a 64.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 159,378 shares of company stock valued at $34,640,860 over the last three months. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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