Natera, Inc. $NTRA Shares Sold by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System cut its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 23.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 171,151 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 52,312 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Natera were worth $34,228,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Future Fund LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 26.9% during the 1st quarter. Future Fund LLC now owns 16,881 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,376,000 after acquiring an additional 3,580 shares in the last quarter. Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV acquired a new position in Natera during the first quarter worth about $258,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 0.8% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 17,546 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,509,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 5.3% in the first quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 85,091 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $17,017,000 after purchasing an additional 4,319 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SteelPeak Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the first quarter valued at approximately $473,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on NTRA shares. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Zacks Research lowered Natera from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. BTIG Research set a $275.00 target price on Natera and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Natera in a report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $310.00 price target for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $267.83.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $267.18 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $38.26 billion, a PE ratio of -163.91 and a beta of 1.51. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $131.81 and a 12 month high of $288.04. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $236.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $220.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.03, for a total transaction of $9,089,637.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 108,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,035,465.29. This trade represents a 27.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.21, for a total transaction of $2,389,310.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,343,009.43. The trade was a 64.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 178,872 shares of company stock valued at $39,627,696. 5.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.