Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC Lowers Stake in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC has significantly reduced its stake in Natera, Inc. by 77.1%, now holding 10,063 shares valued at approximately $1.42 million.
• Multiple analysts have set optimistic price targets for Natera, with Royal Bank of Canada giving a target of $268.00 and Morgan Stanley a target of $195.00, indicating a consensus "Buy" rating.
• Insider selling activity was noted as CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,807 shares at an average price of $132.88, resulting in a decrease in his stake by 3.43%.

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC reduced its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 77.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,063 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 33,819 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC's holdings in Natera were worth $1,423,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the first quarter worth $29,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Natera by 117.8% during the 1st quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 220 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 114.8% during the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,079 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.53, for a total transaction of $845,805.87. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 158,514 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,397,336.42. This trade represents a 3.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.99, for a total transaction of $459,222.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 6,015 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,004,444.85. This represents a 31.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 56,423 shares of company stock valued at $8,459,656. Company insiders own 5.63% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $220.00 target price (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $210.00 target price (up previously from $190.00) on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Sunday, August 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $268.00 target price on shares of Natera and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. One equities 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 stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $194.00.

Natera Trading Up 1.4%

NTRA stock traded up $2.33 during trading on Thursday, reaching $172.12. The stock had a trading volume of 338,659 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,470,752. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $117.27 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The firm has a market cap of $23.62 billion, a PE ratio of -90.14 and a beta of 1.68. The stock's 50 day moving average is $154.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.98.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.74) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $476.84 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.30) EPS. Natera's revenue for the quarter was up 32.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Natera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Natera 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.