Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Boosts Holdings in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 107.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,203 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 2,699 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $1,041,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Palladiem LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new position in Natera in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust raised its holdings in Natera by 103.8% in 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 period. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Natera during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays cut their price target on Natera from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $265.00 price objective on Natera in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $310.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Natera from $250.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, BTIG Research set a $275.00 target price on shares of Natera and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $265.33.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.03, for a total value of $9,089,637.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 108,743 shares in the company, valued at $24,035,465.29. This represents a 27.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,964 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.78, for a total transaction of $642,535.92. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $677,220.72. This trade represents a 48.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 178,872 shares of company stock worth $39,627,696 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $269.95 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $227.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $218.98. The stock has a market cap of $38.66 billion, a PE ratio of -165.61 and a beta of 1.51. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $131.81 and a 52 week high of $288.04.

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.