Farallon Capital Management LLC Sells 568,357 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Farallon Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 11.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,253,452 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 568,357 shares during the quarter. Natera comprises 2.8% of Farallon Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Farallon Capital Management LLC owned about 3.08% of Natera worth $684,678,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in Natera by 95.7% during 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 period. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in Natera in the third quarter worth approximately $46,000. Hilltop National Bank grew its stake in Natera by 59.8% in the third quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 310 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Natera by 256.8% in 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 acquiring an additional 226 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on NTRA shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. BTIG Research upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.13, for a total value of $144,319.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 189,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,621,191.87. This trade represents a 0.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 785 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.13, for a total transaction of $160,242.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 63,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,932,452.02. This represents a 1.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 318,222 shares of company stock valued at $74,068,068. 5.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Natera Stock Down 1.3%

Natera stock opened at $187.85 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $26.62 billion, a P/E ratio of -122.78 and a beta of 1.65. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $219.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $206.72. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $125.38 and a twelve month high of $256.36.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.46) by $0.81. The firm had revenue of $665.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $600.68 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 15.28% and a negative net margin of 9.03%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.41) EPS. Equities analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.