Insider Selling: Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Insider Sells 295 Shares

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) insider John Fesko sold 295 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $267.99, for a total transaction of $79,057.05. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 183,774 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,249,594.26. This trade represents a 0.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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.

John Fesko also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, July 28th, John Fesko sold 931 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.07, for a total transaction of $236,539.17.
• On Monday, July 27th, John Fesko sold 782 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.49, for a total transaction of $203,703.18.
• On Tuesday, May 26th, John Fesko sold 1,438 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.84, for a total transaction of $291,683.92.

Natera Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA traded down $0.61 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $274.58. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,128,660 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,104,859. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $135.75 and a one year high of $288.04. The company has a market cap of $39.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -168.45 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $251.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $222.85.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Palladiem LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new position in Natera during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Natera by 132.9% in the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on NTRA. William Blair assumed coverage on Natera in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on Natera from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Robert W. Baird set a $265.00 target price on Natera in a research report on Friday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Natera in a report on Friday, June 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $245.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus 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.