Natera, Inc. $NTRA Shares Purchased by Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado

Key Points

• Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado increased its Natera stake by 590.9% in the fourth quarter, ending with 82,315 shares valued at about $18.9 million.
• Other institutional investors also added to positions, and 99.90% of Natera’s stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds, underscoring heavy professional ownership.
• Analysts remain generally positive on the stock: Natera has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $256.53, though there has been some mixed opinion from firms like Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs.

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado boosted its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 590.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 82,315 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 70,400 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado owned 0.06% of Natera worth $18,858,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,854,334 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $2,944,800,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225,420 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,389,599 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $545,624,000 after purchasing an additional 72,087 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 37.5% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,665,013 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $428,987,000 after purchasing an additional 727,366 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,608,644 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $596,078,000 after purchasing an additional 11,689 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fred Alger Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 2,451,779 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $394,663,000 after purchasing an additional 41,303 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on NTRA shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $260.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Natera from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, June 5th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Thursday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $256.53.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, Director Roelof Botha sold 78,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.31, for a total value of $17,184,180.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,076,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $237,097,181.38. This trade represents a 6.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.21, for a total transaction of $2,389,310.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,183 shares in the company, valued at $1,343,009.43. The trade was 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 in the last three months. 5.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $216.97 on Tuesday. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $131.81 and a one year high of $256.36. The company's 50 day moving average price is $206.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $215.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -133.11 and a beta of 1.56.

Natera 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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