Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) CFO Michael Burkes Brophy Sells 1,863 Shares

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,863 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total transaction of $464,594.94. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 52,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,075,492.16. This trade represents a 3.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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.

Michael Burkes Brophy also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, July 28th, Michael Burkes Brophy sold 2,419 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.96, for a total transaction of $614,329.24.
• On Monday, July 27th, Michael Burkes Brophy sold 782 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.49, for a total transaction of $203,703.18.
• On Monday, May 4th, Michael Burkes Brophy sold 482 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.49, for a total transaction of $101,456.18.
• On Friday, May 1st, Michael Burkes Brophy sold 313 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.16, for a total transaction of $64,528.08.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA opened at $253.82 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $244.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $221.65. The company has a market capitalization of $36.35 billion, a PE ratio of -155.72 and a beta of 1.51. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $131.81 and a fifty-two week high of $288.04.

Key Headlines Impacting Natera

Here are the key news stories impacting Natera this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Most notably, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 5,064 shares for approximately $1.28 million, while CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,770 shares for about $1.48 million. Both executives cited pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans and said the sales were made to cover tax-withholding obligations related to vested equity awards, reducing the likelihood that the transactions signal a loss of confidence. CFO SEC filing CEO SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Insiders John Fesko and Solomon Moshkevich also sold a combined 3,927 shares worth approximately $1.01 million under similar pre-arranged plans to meet tax obligations. They retained substantial holdings after the sales, further limiting the negative interpretation. Fesko SEC filing Moshkevich SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: The concentration of sales by the CEO, CFO and other insiders may nevertheless create modest short-term selling pressure or raise valuation concerns, particularly because NTRA remains well below its 52-week high and carries a negative trailing price-to-earnings ratio. However, the filings contain no new operational or financial warning.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Palladiem LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on NTRA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Natera in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price target for the company. UBS Group set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, July 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $267.83.

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.