Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 112,200 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lowered its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 17.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 531,443 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 112,200 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.37% of Natera worth $219,651,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter worth $2,962,770,000. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc acquired a new position in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,117,000. Abbot Financial Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,537,000. Eagle Health Investments LP acquired a new position in Natera in the second quarter valued at $4,302,000. Finally, BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Natera during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $11,695,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Leerink Partners set a $330.00 price target on Natera in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Natera from $249.00 to $363.50 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Stephens upped their price target on shares of Natera from $305.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $348.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $350.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $394.31.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider John Fesko sold 6,517 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.53, for a total transaction of $2,095,411.01. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 197,257 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,424,043.21. This represents a 3.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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, CFO Michael Brophy sold 1,906 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.55, for a total value of $811,098.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 46,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,819,565.70. This represents a 3.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 44,556 shares of company stock worth $16,084,051 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 5.05% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $414.30 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $59.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -304.63 and a beta of 1.55. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $377.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $266.44. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $181.00 and a 52 week high of $437.41.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.49) by $0.02. Natera had a negative net margin of 7.11% and a negative return on equity of 11.38%. The firm had revenue of $752.75 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.24 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.74) EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 37.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.14 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Natera

Here are the key news stories impacting Natera this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Natera’s stock momentum remains strong after reaching a new 52-week high of approximately $436, reflecting continued investor enthusiasm for its oncology testing business and Signatera growth prospects. Natera reaches a fresh 52-week high
• Positive Sentiment: Recent ESMO oncology data, including 25 company presentations and additional Signatera evidence, could support broader clinical adoption and future revenue growth. Natera presents 25 ESMO abstracts
• Neutral Sentiment: Natera is scheduled to report third-quarter 2026 results after the market closes on November 5. The report will provide a near-term catalyst focused on Signatera testing volumes, pricing, reimbursement and profitability. Natera third-quarter results announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Several insiders sold shares this week, including the CEO, CFO and other executives. The transactions totaled roughly 11,500 shares, but each sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards, making the signal less concerning than discretionary selling. Natera insider selling
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks warned that Natera may report another quarterly loss and does not currently show the usual combination of positive estimate revisions and earnings momentum associated with a likely beat. With the stock trading well above its long-term moving averages and some valuation analyses estimating substantial downside to fair value, investors may be taking profits ahead of earnings. Natera earnings outlook

Natera Company Profile

Natera, Inc is a diagnostics company that develops and commercializes molecular testing services designed to provide personalized genetic and genomic information. Its tests are used across reproductive health, oncology and organ transplantation, with the company combining next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics to analyze DNA and monitor disease-related signals.

In reproductive health, Natera offers Panorama noninvasive prenatal screening, Horizon carrier screening and Vistara single-gene disorder screening.

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