Natera, Inc. $NTRA Shares Sold by Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Mirae Asset trimmed its stake in Natera by 21.4% in Q4, selling 14,100 shares and leaving it with 51,916 shares valued at about $11.89 million.
• Insiders have been net sellers, offloading 314,545 shares worth roughly $73.14 million over the past three months — including John Fesko (17,806 shares at ~$234.74) and CFO Michael Burkes Brophy (37,175 shares at ~$242.54).
• Natera recently posted an earnings beat (Q4 EPS $0.35 vs. consensus -$0.46 and revenue $665.5M vs. $600.7M) and carries a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $253.47.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. reduced its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 21.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 51,916 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 14,100 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Natera were worth $11,893,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 95.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 225 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Natera by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 431 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 17,806 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.74, for a total value of $4,179,780.44. Following the transaction, the insider owned 177,591 shares of the company's stock, valued at $41,687,711.34. This trade represents a 9.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 37,175 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.54, for a total transaction of $9,016,424.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 64,123 shares in the company, valued at $15,552,392.42. The trade was a 36.70% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 314,545 shares of company stock worth $73,141,185. Insiders own 5.63% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on NTRA. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $300.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $239.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. William Blair began coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $253.47.

Natera Price Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $208.40 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $203.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $212.18. The stock has a market cap of $29.54 billion, a P/E ratio of -136.21 and a beta of 1.68. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $131.81 and a 1-year high of $256.36.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by $0.81. Natera had a negative net margin of 9.03% and a negative return on equity of 15.28%. The business had revenue of $665.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $600.68 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.41) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Natera Company 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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