Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) CEO Sells 1,273 Shares of Company Stock

Key Points

• Natera CEO Steven Chapman sold 1,273 shares at an average price of $413.31, totaling $526,143.63, under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. He retains 96,926 shares worth approximately $40.1 million.
• Natera shares opened at $410.35, near their 12-month high of $427.47, with the stock up substantially above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• The company reported quarterly revenue of $752.75 million, up 37.7% year over year, and narrowly beat analysts’ EPS expectations. Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with an average price target of $341.55.

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) CEO Steven Chapman sold 1,273 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $413.31, for a total value of $526,143.63. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 96,926 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,060,485.06. This trade represents a 1.30% 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.

Steven Leonard Chapman also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, September 1st, Steven Chapman sold 1,698 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.99, for a total value of $545,041.02.
• On Monday, August 3rd, Steven Chapman sold 3,076 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.39, for a total value of $819,415.64.
• On Tuesday, July 28th, Steven Chapman sold 3,580 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.07, for a total value of $909,570.60.
• On Monday, July 27th, Steven Chapman sold 2,190 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.49, for a total transaction of $570,473.10.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $410.35 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $59.15 billion, a PE ratio of -301.73 and a beta of 1.50. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $160.59 and a 12 month high of $427.47. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $332.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $261.45.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.49) by $0.02. Natera had a negative net margin of 7.11% and a negative return on equity of 11.38%. The firm had revenue of $752.75 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $661.24 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.74) EPS. The company's revenue was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Polaris Financial Partners acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $114,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Natera by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 815 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Burkett Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at $57,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Natera by 32.7% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 19,488 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $5,290,000 after purchasing an additional 4,797 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 9.6% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 4,921 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,336,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NTRA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup raised their price target on Natera from $315.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Natera in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $310.00 price objective on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $385.00 target price for the company. Leerink Partners set a $330.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $348.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $341.55.

Natera Company Profile

Natera, Inc is a diagnostics company that develops and commercializes molecular testing services designed to assess genetic and disease-related risks. The company uses technologies including cell-free DNA analysis and next-generation sequencing to support clinical decision-making in reproductive health, oncology and organ transplantation.

Its reproductive health offerings include Panorama, a noninvasive prenatal test that screens for certain chromosomal conditions, and Horizon, a carrier screening test that evaluates whether prospective parents carry genetic variants associated with inherited disorders.

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