Natera, Inc. $NTRA Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. trimmed its Natera stake by 2.7% in the first quarter, selling 19,026 shares and ending with 692,368 shares valued at about $138.5 million.
• Several analysts remain constructive on Natera, with recent price targets ranging from $260 to $310 and a consensus rating of Moderate Buy at an average target of $265.33.
• Insider selling has also been notable, including recent sales by CEO Steven Leonard Chapman and insider Solomon Moshkevich; over the past three months, insiders sold 178,872 shares worth about $39.6 million.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 2.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 692,368 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 19,026 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.49% of Natera worth $138,467,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Palladiem LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 103.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $250.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Robert W. Baird set a $265.00 price target on Natera in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, UBS Group set a $260.00 price objective on Natera in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $265.33.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.90, for a total value of $818,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 134,643 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,744,074.70. This trade represents a 2.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.03, for a total value of $9,089,637.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 108,743 shares in the company, valued at $24,035,465.29. The trade was a 27.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 178,872 shares of company stock worth $39,627,696. 5.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Natera Stock Performance

Natera stock opened at $281.85 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $131.81 and a 1 year high of $288.04. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $226.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $218.73. The company has a market cap of $40.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -172.91 and a beta of 1.51.

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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