Natera, Inc. $NTRA Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lowered its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 0.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 347,957 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 2,951 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.24% of Natera worth $69,535,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Robinhood Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Natera during the fourth quarter worth $12,981,000. UBS Group AG boosted its position in Natera by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 438,857 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $100,538,000 after acquiring an additional 71,355 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its position in Natera by 286.8% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 65,717 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $15,055,000 after acquiring an additional 48,728 shares during the last quarter. Aubrey Capital Management Ltd grew its holdings in Natera by 32.1% during the 4th quarter. Aubrey Capital Management Ltd now owns 21,400 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $4,902,000 after acquiring an additional 5,200 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in Natera by 3,373.1% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 11,253 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,251,000 after acquiring an additional 10,929 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,863 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total value of $464,594.94. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,075,492.16. The trade was a 3.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 Leonard Chapman sold 3,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $26,162,350.11. This trade represents a 3.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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 sold 173,951 shares of company stock valued at $39,412,294. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Natera Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $267.76 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.35 billion, a P/E ratio of -164.27 and a beta of 1.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $246.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $222.22. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $131.81 and a 1-year high of $288.04.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NTRA. Zacks Research downgraded Natera from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $249.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $265.00 target price on Natera in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Natera in a report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $310.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Natera from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $267.83.

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.