Kestra Advisory Services LLC Cuts Holdings in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Kestra Advisory Services LLC has reduced its stake in Natera, Inc. by 23%, owning now 6,407 shares valued at approximately $906,000.
• Natera's stock has seen significant analyst activity, with UBS Group raising its price target to $218.00 and several analysts maintaining or upgrading ratings despite mixed earnings results.
• Insider transactions included significant sales by director Rowan E. Chapman and CFO Michael Burkes Brophy, totaling over $877,000 in stock sold within the last few months.

Kestra Advisory Services LLC trimmed its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 23.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,407 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 1,911 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Natera were worth $906,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of NTRA. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Natera in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 117.8% in the first quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 220 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the first quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 114.8% in the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NTRA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Sunday, August 10th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $210.00 price target (up from $190.00) on shares of Natera in a research report 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 research report on Monday, July 28th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $183.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and seventeen have given a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $194.00.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director owned 6,015 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,004,444.85. The trade was a 31.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.77, for a total transaction of $500,310.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 130,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,714,287.85. This represents a 2.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 55,344 shares of company stock valued at $8,271,610. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA traded up $1.46 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $168.02. The company's stock had a trading volume of 776,006 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,211,789. The company has a market cap of $23.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -87.97 and a beta of 1.68. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $154.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.91. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $110.57 and a 52-week high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its 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). The business had revenue of $546.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $476.84 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 22.22% and a negative net margin of 12.89%.Natera's revenue for the quarter was up 32.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.30) EPS. Natera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share 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.