SG Americas Securities LLC Grows Holdings in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 45.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 53,609 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,691 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $10,721,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NTRA. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust increased its position in shares of Natera by 103.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $261.91 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $212.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $215.87. The stock has a market cap of $37.51 billion, a PE ratio of -160.68 and a beta of 1.56. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $131.81 and a 1 year high of $271.47.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NTRA. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Natera in a report on Friday, June 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $265.00 target price on Natera in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $310.00 price target for the company. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, May 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.22.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was 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 owned 108,743 shares in the company, valued at $24,035,465.29. This trade represents a 27.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 value of $2,389,310.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,183 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,343,009.43. The trade was a 64.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 178,872 shares of company stock valued at $39,415,896 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

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.