Westpac Banking Corp Grows Position in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Westpac Banking Corp raised its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 235.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,081 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,881 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in Natera were worth $2,267,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in Natera by 95.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 225 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the third quarter worth approximately $46,000. Hilltop National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 59.8% during the third quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 310 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 256.8% during the second quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 314 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Natera by 23.1% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 431 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Natera Trading Up 1.1%

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $211.83 on Thursday. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $125.38 and a 12 month high of $256.36. The stock has a market cap of $29.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -92.50 and a beta of 1.64. The company’s 50 day moving average is $227.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $203.10.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, Director Herm Rosenman sold 48,419 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.42, for a total value of $11,011,448.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 20,342 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,626,177.64. This represents a 70.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 17,806 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.74, for a total value of $4,179,780.44. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 177,591 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,687,711.34. The trade was a 9.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 368,119 shares of company stock worth $85,956,782 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NTRA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Evercore boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays raised their target price on Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $218.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $249.20.

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.