Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) CEO Sells $1,565,251.80 in Stock

Key Points

• Natera CEO Steven Chapman sold 3,801 shares for about $1.57 million at an average price of $411.80, leaving him with 87,431 shares. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards.
• Natera reported quarterly revenue of $752.75 million, up 37.7% year over year and above analysts’ $661.24 million estimate; adjusted loss per share was $0.47, slightly better than expected.
• Analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy”, with an average price target of $394.31; recent recommendations included several upgrades and higher targets.

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) CEO Steven Chapman sold 3,801 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $411.80, for a total value of $1,565,251.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,431 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,004,085.80. This represents a 4.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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.

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

• On Wednesday, October 28th, Steven Chapman sold 3,430 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.34, for a total transaction of $1,462,346.20.
• On Tuesday, October 27th, Steven Chapman sold 2,264 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $406.00, for a total value of $919,184.00.
• On Thursday, October 1st, Steven Chapman sold 1,273 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $413.31, for a total value of $526,143.63.
• On Tuesday, September 1st, Steven Chapman sold 1,698 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.99, for a total value of $545,041.02.

Natera Price Performance

NTRA stock traded up $2.40 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $391.03. 2,799,993 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,672,252. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $380.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $268.64. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $181.00 and a 12 month 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) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.49) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $752.75 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.24 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 11.38% and a negative net margin of 7.11%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.74) EPS. Research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTRA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Natera from $360.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Robert W. Baird set a $348.00 price target on Natera in a report on Friday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $360.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, BTIG Research increased their target price on Natera from $320.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $394.31.

Key Headlines Impacting Natera

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

Institutional Trading of Natera

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at $93,000. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Natera by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 11,442 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $4,729,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 30.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 1,835 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $759,000 after buying an additional 427 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in Natera by 9.9% in the third quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 55,946 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $23,123,000 after buying an additional 5,022 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaCentric Advisors LLC boosted its position in Natera by 3.0% during the third quarter. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC now owns 1,432 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $592,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Natera

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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