Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Insider Sells 3,419 Shares of Company Stock

Key Points

• Natera insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,419 shares for about $1.4 million at an average price of $409.77, retaining 101,323 shares. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards.
• Natera’s latest reported quarterly revenue rose 37.7% year over year to $752.75 million, beating analyst expectations; adjusted loss per share was also narrower than forecast.
• Analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $394.31. Medicare coverage for Natera’s Signatera test in liver cancer and new oncology evidence were cited as potential supports for its business outlook.

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,419 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.77, for a total value of $1,401,003.63. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 101,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,519,125.71. This represents a 3.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal 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.

Solomon Moshkevich also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, October 28th, Solomon Moshkevich sold 1,162 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.34, for a total value of $495,407.08.
• On Tuesday, October 27th, Solomon Moshkevich sold 1,010 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $406.00, for a total transaction of $410,060.00.
• On Thursday, October 1st, Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $414.22, for a total value of $1,242,660.00.
• On Wednesday, September 2nd, Solomon Moshkevich sold 15,160 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.89, for a total transaction of $4,955,652.40.
• On Tuesday, September 1st, Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.73, for a total transaction of $962,190.00.

Natera Price Performance

Natera stock traded up $2.40 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $391.03. The company had a trading volume of 2,799,993 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,672,252. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $181.00 and a 12-month high of $437.41. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $380.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $268.64.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $752.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $661.24 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.74) earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 37.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.14 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Natera from $360.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of Natera from $375.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $385.00 target price for the company. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Natera from $365.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on Natera from $340.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $394.31.

Key Stories 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 Investors Weigh In On Natera

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NTRA. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Natera in the second quarter worth about $2,962,770,000. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc bought a new position in Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,117,000. Abbot Financial Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the second quarter valued at $1,537,000. Eagle Health Investments LP bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,302,000. Finally, BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the second quarter valued at $11,695,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company's stock.

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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