Natera, Inc. $NTRA Shares Sold by Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC

Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 43.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 76,250 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 58,550 shares during the period. Natera accounts for about 2.1% of Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $15,249,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $221,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 68.3% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,552 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $644,000 after purchasing an additional 1,847 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in Natera by 8.6% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,993 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $847,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $298,000. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $558,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.21, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 64.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of Natera stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 108,743 shares in the company, valued at $24,035,465.29. The trade was a 27.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 178,872 shares of company stock valued at $39,627,696. 5.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Natera Stock Down 0.1%

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $272.66 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $39.05 billion, a PE ratio of -167.28 and a beta of 1.51. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $131.81 and a 52-week high of $288.04. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $230.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $219.50.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on NTRA. UBS Group set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of Natera from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. William Blair began coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $267.83.

Natera Company 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.