Insider Selling: Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Insider Sells $120,803.02 in Stock

Key Points

• Insider John Fesko sold 302 Natera shares for about $120,803 at an average $400.01, retaining 195,276 shares. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards.
• Natera shares traded at $391.03 in the article’s market update, near their 52-week high of $437.41. The company’s most recently reported quarter beat earnings and revenue estimates, with revenue up 37.7% year over year.
• Analysts’ average rating was “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $394.31; some firms had raised targets to $480, while others rated the stock Hold or Sell.

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) insider John Fesko sold 302 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.01, for a total transaction of $120,803.02. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 195,276 shares of the company's stock, valued at $78,112,352.76. The trade was a 0.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 Wednesday, October 28th, John Fesko sold 898 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.34, for a total value of $382,853.32.
• On Tuesday, October 27th, John Fesko sold 781 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $406.00, for a total value of $317,086.00.
• On Monday, August 10th, John Fesko sold 6,517 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $321.53, for a total transaction of $2,095,411.01.

Natera Price Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $2.40 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $391.03. 2,799,993 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,672,252. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $380.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $268.64. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $181.00 and a one year high of $437.41.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.49) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $752.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $661.24 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 7.11% and a negative return on equity of 11.38%. Natera's revenue was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.74) EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Natera News

Here are the key news stories impacting Natera this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Medicare coverage for Signatera in HCC could improve patient access and support adoption of Natera’s cancer-monitoring tests. The coverage milestone adds to the commercial opportunity for its oncology business. Natera Medicare coverage for Signatera in HCC
• Positive Sentiment: New ESMO oncology evidence was described as broadening the case for Natera’s cancer-testing portfolio, potentially reinforcing the longer-term growth story. ESMO data broaden Natera’s oncology case
• Neutral Sentiment: Natera was expected to report earnings on November 5, making results and management’s outlook a near-term catalyst; the preview article did not provide reported results. Natera earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: The reported analyst consensus price target was $394.31, close to the share price cited in the provided market background, suggesting limited implied upside from that target alone. Natera consensus target price
• Neutral Sentiment: CFO Michael Brophy sold 1,178 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and retained 48,480 shares. The scheduled nature and relatively small size of the sale may temper its significance as a signal about management’s outlook. CFO share sale report

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Natera from $365.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Natera from $249.00 to $363.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Zacks Research downgraded Natera from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Natera from $340.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Leerink Partners set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $394.31.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,962,770,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in Natera by 1.0% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,191,732 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $238,334,000 after buying an additional 11,793 shares in the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Natera by 24.1% during the 1st quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 1,171,633 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $234,315,000 after buying an additional 227,605 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Natera by 10.7% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 833,376 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $226,220,000 after buying an additional 80,440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at about $199,960,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Natera Company Profile

Natera, Inc is a diagnostics company that develops and commercializes molecular testing services designed to provide personalized genetic and genomic information. Its tests are used across reproductive health, oncology and organ transplantation, with the company combining next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics to analyze DNA and monitor disease-related signals.

In reproductive health, Natera offers Panorama noninvasive prenatal screening, Horizon carrier screening and Vistara single-gene disorder screening.

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