Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC Boosts Holdings in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC raised its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 6.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 132,500 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,400 shares during the period. Natera makes up 1.5% of Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $21,329,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 95.7% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 225 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the third quarter worth $46,000. Hilltop National Bank increased its position in Natera by 59.8% in the third quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 310 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Natera by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 431 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 3,594 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.02, for a total transaction of $830,285.88. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 178,081 shares in the company, valued at $41,140,272.62. This trade represents a 1.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,725 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.77, for a total value of $1,090,388.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 123,156 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,420,710.12. This trade represents a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 455,899 shares of company stock worth $106,475,440 over the last three months. Company insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Natera from $218.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Natera from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $249.20.

Natera Price Performance

Natera stock opened at $206.23 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $28.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -90.06 and a beta of 1.64. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $125.38 and a 1 year high of $256.36. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $229.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $200.00.

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.