Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS Lowers Stock Position in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS cut its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 70.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,841 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 35,088 shares during the period. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS’s holdings in Natera were worth $2,968,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NTRA. Robinhood Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at about $12,981,000. Systrade AG purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $11,454,000. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $2,825,000. UBS Group AG increased its position in Natera by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 438,857 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $100,538,000 after acquiring an additional 71,355 shares during the period. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt increased its position in Natera by 213.9% in the 3rd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 25,095 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,040,000 after acquiring an additional 17,100 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock traded down $11.90 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $269.95. 969,702 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,642,286. The company’s 50 day moving average is $227.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $219.09. The company has a market cap of $38.66 billion, a P/E ratio of -165.61 and a beta of 1.51. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $131.81 and a 1 year high of $288.04.

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, Director Herm Rosenman sold 16,530 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $4,132,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,062,500. This trade represents a 79.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,405 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.69, for a total transaction of $693,564.45. Following the sale, the insider owned 142,295 shares in the company, valued at $28,984,068.55. The trade was a 2.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 178,872 shares of company stock valued at $39,627,696 over the last three months. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. BTIG Research set a $275.00 price objective on Natera and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group set a $260.00 target price on Natera in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Natera in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $310.00 price target for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $249.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $265.33.

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.