Virtus Advisers LLC Takes $1.01 Million Position in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Virtus Advisers acquired a new $1.01 million stake in Natera during the second quarter, purchasing 3,741 shares. Institutional investors collectively own 99.90% of the company.
• Natera’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with revenue rising 37.7% year over year to $752.75 million and an adjusted loss of $0.47 per share versus the $0.49 consensus estimate.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $319.38, although insiders sold $41.3 million of stock over the past quarter under pre-arranged plans to cover tax obligations.

Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 3,741 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $1,015,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the second quarter worth $30,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC bought a new stake in Natera during the third quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $324.84 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $46.82 billion, a PE ratio of -238.85 and a beta of 1.51. The company's fifty day moving average is $271.84 and its 200 day moving average is $228.67. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $157.43 and a 52 week high of $333.56.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 478 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.22, for a total transaction of $131,077.16. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 51,637 shares in the company, valued at $14,159,898.14. This trade represents a 0.92% decrease in their position. 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 Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,410 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $265.58, for a total value of $905,627.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 129,019 shares in the company, valued at $34,264,866.02. This trade represents a 2.57% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 181,045 shares of company stock valued at $41,330,968. 5.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on NTRA shares. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Natera in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $260.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Natera from $220.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Stephens boosted their price objective on Natera from $305.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $375.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $348.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $319.38.

Natera Company 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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