Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas Makes New $6.41 Million Investment in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Oddo BHF Asset Management purchased 32,053 Natera shares worth approximately $6.41 million during the first quarter. Institutional investors now own 99.90% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with Natera receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $267.83, despite some hold and sell ratings.
• Several executives and insiders sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, primarily to cover tax obligations tied to equity awards. Natera stock opened at $253.82, with a market capitalization of about $36.35 billion and a negative trailing P/E ratio.

Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 32,053 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $6,410,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new position in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Natera by 132.9% in the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust raised its stake 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 valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on NTRA. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Natera from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $265.00 target price on Natera in a research report on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group set a $260.00 target price on Natera in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $267.83.

Key Headlines Impacting Natera

Here are the key news stories impacting Natera this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Most notably, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 5,064 shares for approximately $1.28 million, while CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,770 shares for about $1.48 million. Both executives cited pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans and said the sales were made to cover tax-withholding obligations related to vested equity awards, reducing the likelihood that the transactions signal a loss of confidence. CFO SEC filing CEO SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Insiders John Fesko and Solomon Moshkevich also sold a combined 3,927 shares worth approximately $1.01 million under similar pre-arranged plans to meet tax obligations. They retained substantial holdings after the sales, further limiting the negative interpretation. Fesko SEC filing Moshkevich SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: The concentration of sales by the CEO, CFO and other insiders may nevertheless create modest short-term selling pressure or raise valuation concerns, particularly because NTRA remains well below its 52-week high and carries a negative trailing price-to-earnings ratio. However, the filings contain no new operational or financial warning.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $253.82 on Thursday. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $131.81 and a 52 week high of $288.04. The firm's fifty day moving average is $244.16 and its 200-day moving average is $221.65. The firm has a market cap of $36.35 billion, a P/E ratio of -155.72 and a beta of 1.51.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.03, for a total transaction of $9,089,637.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 108,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,035,465.29. This trade represents a 27.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,405 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.69, for a total value of $693,564.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 142,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,984,068.55. This trade represents a 2.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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 have sold 178,862 shares of company stock valued at $40,416,335 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 5.05% of the company's stock.

Natera 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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