Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock: Insider Michael Burkes Brophy Sells 470 Shares

Key Points

• CFO Michael Brophy sold 470 Natera shares for about $184,000 at an average price of $391.49, under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards. He retained 45,779 shares.
• Natera shares rose 0.6% to $391.03 in Wednesday trading. The company’s latest reported quarter showed revenue up 37.7% year over year to $752.75 million, while its loss per share was slightly better than analysts expected.
• Analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $394.31; several firms had recently raised targets or initiated coverage with Buy ratings.

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) CFO Michael Brophy sold 470 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.49, for a total value of $184,000.30. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 45,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,922,020.71. The trade was a 1.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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.

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

• On Monday, November 2nd, Michael Brophy sold 325 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $399.99, for a total value of $129,996.75.
• On Wednesday, October 28th, Michael Brophy sold 1,178 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.46, for a total transaction of $502,369.88.
• On Friday, October 30th, Michael Brophy sold 1,906 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.55, for a total transaction of $811,098.30.
• On Wednesday, October 28th, Michael Brophy sold 1,198 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.34, for a total transaction of $510,755.32.
• On Tuesday, October 27th, Michael Brophy 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.

Natera Stock Up 0.6%

NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $2.40 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $391.03. 2,799,993 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,672,252. The company's 50 day moving average is $380.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $268.64. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $181.00 and a twelve month high of $437.41.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued 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 analyst estimates of $661.24 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 11.38% and a negative net margin of 7.11%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.74) earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.14 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Roth Capital started coverage on Natera in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $475.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim upped their price target on Natera from $360.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Stephens increased their target price on shares of Natera from $305.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on Natera in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $385.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Natera from $360.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Two investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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 Trading of Natera

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new position in Natera during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Natera during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Continuum Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Natera during the second quarter worth $33,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Natera in the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Burkett Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at $57,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

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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