Wellington Management Group LLP Cuts Stock Position in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Wellington Management Group LLP has reduced its stake in Natera, Inc. by 5.6%, now holding approximately 3,059,688 shares valued at $432,670,000.
• Various other hedge funds are increasing their investments in Natera, with LRI Investments and Bank of Jackson Hole Trust both purchasing new stakes valued at around $29,000.
• Natera reported a larger-than-expected revenue of $546.60 million for the latest quarter, but missed earnings estimates with a loss of ($0.74) per share compared to the expected ($0.60).

Wellington Management Group LLP cut its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 5.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,059,688 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 180,353 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP owned about 2.26% of Natera worth $432,670,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Korea Investment CORP purchased a new position in Natera during the first quarter valued at $5,657,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Natera by 1.7% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 712,730 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $100,787,000 after purchasing an additional 11,949 shares during the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in Natera during the first quarter valued at $39,000. Corient IA LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the 1st quarter worth about $283,000. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,521,300 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $215,127,000 after acquiring an additional 80,865 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 875 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.46, for a total value of $136,027.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 123,859 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,255,120.14. The trade was a 0.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 2,496 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.17, for a total transaction of $332,392.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 5,763 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $767,458.71. This represents a 30.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 61,792 shares of company stock worth $9,227,972. 5.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Natera Stock Up 2.3%

NTRA stock traded up $3.65 during trading on Friday, hitting $165.60. The company had a trading volume of 839,847 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,637,383. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.73 billion, a P/E ratio of -86.70 and a beta of 1.76. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $110.57 and a 52-week high of $183.00. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $154.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $154.01.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.74) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.60) by ($0.14). Natera had a negative net margin of 12.89% and a negative return on equity of 22.22%. The business had revenue of $546.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $476.84 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.30) EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 32.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Natera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $251.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $220.00 price objective (up from $210.00) on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, August 11th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Sunday, August 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and seventeen have given a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $193.19.

About Natera

Natera, Inc, a diagnostics company, develops and commercializes molecular testing services worldwide. Its products include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities of a fetus, as well as in twin pregnancies; Horizon carrier screening test for individuals and couples determine if they are carriers of genetic variations that cause certain genetic conditions; Vistara single-gene NIPT screens for 25 single-gene disorders that cause severe skeletal, cardiac, and neurological conditions; Spectrum, preimplantation genetic tests for couples undergoing IVF; Anora that analyzes miscarriage tissue from women; Empower, a hereditary cancer screening test; and non-invasive prenatal paternity product, which allows a couple to establish paternity without waiting for the child to be born.