Insider Selling: Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) CEO Sells 3,580 Shares

Key Points

• Natera CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 3,580 shares for approximately $909,571 at an average price of $254.07, reducing his ownership by 3.36%. The sale was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards.
• Natera shares were trading near $253.82, with a 12-month range of $131.81 to $288.04 and a market capitalization of about $36.35 billion. Analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $267.83.
• Institutional investors own approximately 99.90% of Natera’s stock, while recent filings showed several funds initiating or increasing positions in the company.

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 3,580 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.07, for a total transaction of $909,570.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 102,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,162,350.11. The trade was a 3.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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. 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 Monday, July 27th, Steven Leonard Chapman sold 2,190 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.49, for a total transaction of $570,473.10.
• On Thursday, June 4th, Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.03, for a total transaction of $9,089,637.72.
• On Friday, May 1st, Steven Leonard Chapman sold 902 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.16, for a total value of $185,956.32.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ NTRA traded up $1.60 on Wednesday, hitting $253.82. 925,147 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,091,572. The business's fifty day moving average is $244.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $221.65. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $131.81 and a 12 month high of $288.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -155.72 and a beta of 1.51.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays decreased their price objective on Natera from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 target price for the company. William Blair started coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $249.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $267.83.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Family Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Natera during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $210,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in Natera by 29.1% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 207,800 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $56,407,000 after purchasing an additional 46,800 shares in the last quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at $254,000. Teamwork Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,936,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at $59,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Natera Company Profile

Natera is a global diagnostics company that develops and commercializes cell-free DNA and other genetic testing technologies for clinical applications. The company focuses on three principal areas: reproductive health (including non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening), oncology (tumor-informed assays for minimal residual disease and recurrence monitoring), and organ transplantation (cell-free DNA tests to detect allograft injury). Natera combines laboratory testing, proprietary bioinformatics, and clinical reporting to deliver personalized genetic information to clinicians and patients.

Key product offerings include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and select single-gene conditions; Horizon carrier screening for inherited conditions; Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay used for detecting minimal residual disease and monitoring treatment response in cancer patients; and Prospera, a donor-derived cell-free DNA test used to assess the risk of organ rejection.

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