Natera, Inc. $NTRA Shares Bought by Maverick Capital Ltd.

Key Points

• Maverick Capital increased its Natera stake by 24.1% in the first quarter, adding 227,605 shares to own 1.17 million shares valued at approximately $234.3 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high at 99.9%, with several major investors—including UBS, ABN Amro and the Teacher Retirement System of Texas—also increasing their positions.
• Natera’s shares opened at $258.03, near the upper end of their 52-week range, while analysts maintained a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $267.83; insiders, however, have sold more than $37.2 million in stock over the past 90 days.

Maverick Capital Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 24.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,171,633 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 227,605 shares during the period. Natera makes up approximately 2.7% of Maverick Capital Ltd.'s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Maverick Capital Ltd. owned about 0.82% of Natera worth $234,315,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. Robinhood Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter worth about $12,981,000. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,825,000. UBS Group AG lifted its position in shares of Natera by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 438,857 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $100,538,000 after acquiring an additional 71,355 shares in the last quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions boosted its stake in Natera by 44.6% in the 1st quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 9,346 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,869,000 after purchasing an additional 2,883 shares during the period. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its position in Natera by 286.8% during the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 65,717 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $15,055,000 after purchasing an additional 48,728 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $258.03 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $36.95 billion, a P/E ratio of -158.30 and a beta of 1.51. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $242.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $221.57. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $131.81 and a 52 week high of $288.04.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on NTRA. Barclays reduced their target price on Natera from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. William Blair initiated coverage on Natera in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Natera from $250.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Natera from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $265.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $267.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, Director Herm Rosenman sold 16,530 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $4,132,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,062,500. The trade was a 79.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,405 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.69, for a total value of $693,564.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 142,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at $28,984,068.55. This represents a 2.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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 have sold 167,171 shares of company stock worth $37,239,209 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 5.05% 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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