Roelof Botha Sells 78,000 Shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Director Roelof Botha sold 78,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director owned 1,076,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $237,097,181.38. This represents a 6.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $222.10 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $203.83 and a 200-day moving average of $216.07. The stock has a market cap of $31.81 billion, a PE ratio of -136.26 and a beta of 1.56. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $131.81 and a 52-week high of $256.36.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on NTRA. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price objective for the company. William Blair began coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Natera from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $256.81.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Horizon Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 244 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 270 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Natera by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 1,541 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $353,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 5.5% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 905 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $181,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp boosted its holdings in Natera by 5.5% in the first quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 982 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $196,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.