Triasima Portfolio Management inc. Makes New $4.54 Million Investment in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Triasima Portfolio Management initiated a $4.54 million position in Natera during the third quarter by purchasing 10,991 shares. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 99.90% of the company.
• Natera reported quarterly revenue of $752.75 million, up 37.7% year over year and above analyst expectations, while its loss of $0.47 per share narrowly beat estimates.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $368.69, although Natera shares were trading at $404.79 and insiders sold shares worth $16.1 million over the past quarter.

Triasima Portfolio Management inc. purchased a new position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 10,991 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $4,543,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Formuepleje A S acquired a new position in Natera in the third quarter valued at about $482,000. Curated Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Natera during the third quarter worth about $907,000. Purus Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 5.3% during the third quarter. Purus Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,135 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $469,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Mainsail Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at about $236,000. Finally, Nvwm LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at about $83,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $404.79 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.35 billion, a PE ratio of -297.64 and a beta of 1.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $356.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $274.42. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $178.01 and a 52 week high of $437.41.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 11.38% and a negative net margin of 7.11%. The firm had revenue of $752.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $661.24 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.74) EPS. Natera's revenue for the quarter was up 37.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Michael Brophy sold 2,419 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.96, for a total value of $614,329.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 54,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,788,758.20. This trade represents a 4.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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, CEO Steven Chapman sold 3,580 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.07, for a total value of $909,570.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 102,973 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,162,350.11. This represents a 3.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 52,985 shares of company stock worth $16,119,137. 5.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on NTRA. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $310.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada upped 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. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $290.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. BTIG Research lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $290.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Natera from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $368.69.

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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