Erste Asset Management GmbH Purchases 10,000 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 8.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 126,500 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 10,000 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Natera were worth $29,001,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Palladiem LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 270 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. acquired a new stake in Natera in the 4th quarter worth approximately $62,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $215.31 on Monday. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $131.81 and a 12 month high of $256.36. The firm has a market cap of $30.83 billion, a PE ratio of -132.09 and a beta of 1.56. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $204.19 and a 200-day moving average of $216.13.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NTRA has been the subject of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Natera in a report on Friday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $245.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $249.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Natera from $265.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $256.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Roelof Botha sold 78,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.31, for a total transaction of $17,184,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,076,198 shares in the company, valued at $237,097,181.38. The trade was a 6.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,070 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.74, for a total value of $594,781.80. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 58,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,293,298.34. This trade represents a 5.00% 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 156,530 shares of company stock valued at $33,914,062 in the last three months. 5.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.