Natera, Inc. $NTRA Shares Sold by Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC

Key Points

• Zevenbergen Capital Investments reduced its Natera position by 10.6% in the third quarter, selling 27,105 shares and retaining 227,444 shares valued at approximately $94 million. Institutional investors collectively own 99.9% of Natera.
• Natera’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with revenue rising 37.7% year over year to $752.75 million and adjusted EPS of negative $0.47 versus the consensus estimate of negative $0.49.
• Natera shares traded at $390.79, near their 52-week high of $437.41. Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $353.45, although insider selling totaled 52,985 shares worth $16.1 million over the past 90 days.

Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC lowered its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 227,444 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 27,105 shares during the quarter. Natera comprises 2.2% of Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC owned approximately 0.16% of Natera worth $94,005,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Natera during the second quarter worth $2,962,770,000. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the second quarter worth $5,117,000. Abbot Financial Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the second quarter worth $1,537,000. Eagle Health Investments LP bought a new position in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter worth about $4,302,000. Finally, BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter worth about $11,695,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, CFO Michael Brophy sold 2,419 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.96, for a total transaction of $614,329.24. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 54,295 shares in the company, valued at $13,788,758.20. This trade represents a 4.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider John Fesko sold 6,517 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $321.53, for a total value of $2,095,411.01. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 197,257 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,424,043.21. The trade was a 3.20% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 52,985 shares of company stock worth $16,119,137 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 5.05% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Down 1.2%

Natera stock traded down $4.77 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $390.79. 2,443,193 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,409,399. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $167.99 and a one year high of $437.41. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $341.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $265.84. The company has a market cap of $56.33 billion, a PE ratio of -287.34 and a beta of 1.50.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.49) by $0.02. Natera had a negative return on equity of 11.38% and a negative net margin of 7.11%.The company had revenue of $752.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $661.24 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.74) earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on NTRA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $315.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Natera in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $310.00 price target on the stock. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Natera from $365.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $353.45.

About Natera

Natera, Inc is a diagnostics company that develops and commercializes molecular testing services designed to assess genetic and disease-related risks. The company uses technologies including cell-free DNA analysis and next-generation sequencing to support clinical decision-making in reproductive health, oncology and organ transplantation.

Its reproductive health offerings include Panorama, a noninvasive prenatal test that screens for certain chromosomal conditions, and Horizon, a carrier screening test that evaluates whether prospective parents carry genetic variants associated with inherited disorders.

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