Natera, Inc. $NTRA Stock Holdings Lifted by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 25.9% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 17,168 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,536 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Natera were worth $3,433,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in Natera in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera by 132.9% during the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust increased its stake in shares of Natera by 103.8% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.21, for a total value of $2,389,310.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,183 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,343,009.43. The trade was a 64.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,964 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.78, for a total value of $642,535.92. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $677,220.72. This represents a 48.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 178,872 shares of company stock valued at $39,627,696 in the last quarter. Insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA opened at $271.39 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $38.87 billion, a PE ratio of -166.50 and a beta of 1.51. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $131.81 and a one year high of $288.04. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $233.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $220.41.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on NTRA. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price objective for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on shares of Natera from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Natera from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Natera from $250.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $249.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $267.83.

Natera 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.