United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Invests $1.10 Million in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 4,050 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,099,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new position in Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Palladiem LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC bought a new stake in Natera during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $326.26 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $47.03 billion, a PE ratio of -239.90 and a beta of 1.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $285.07 and a 200-day moving average of $233.61. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $157.43 and a one year high of $343.18.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.49) by $0.02. The business had revenue of $752.75 million for 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%. Natera’s quarterly revenue was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.74) EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 6,517 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.53, for a total value of $2,095,411.01. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 197,257 shares in the company, valued at $63,424,043.21. This represents a 3.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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, Director Herm Rosenman sold 16,530 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $4,132,500.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,250 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,500. The trade was a 79.55% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 184,472 shares of company stock valued at $42,799,604. 5.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on NTRA shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Natera from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 7th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $290.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Stephens upped their target price on shares of Natera from $305.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.38.

About Natera

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.