Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) CFO Michael Burkes Brophy Sells 1,993 Shares

Key Points

• CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,993 shares on April 27 at an average price of $204.14 for $406,851 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover tax withholding from vested equity, leaving him with 61,361 shares (a 3.15% decline).
• The April sale is part of a series of insider dispositions this year (including 3,070 shares on April 29 and 6,939 on Feb. 3), representing multiple transactions worth millions and ongoing management selling activity.
• Natera shares traded near $194.75 mid-day with a $27.7B market cap; the company recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates but remains unprofitable, and analysts have a consensus “Moderate Buy” with a $253.47 target price.

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,993 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.14, for a total transaction of $406,851.02. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 61,361 shares in the company, valued at $12,526,234.54. This represents a 3.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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.

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

• On Wednesday, April 29th, Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,070 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.74, for a total transaction of $594,781.80.
• On Tuesday, March 10th, Michael Burkes Brophy sold 785 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.13, for a total transaction of $160,242.05.
• On Tuesday, February 3rd, Michael Burkes Brophy sold 6,939 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.83, for a total transaction of $1,580,912.37.
• On Thursday, January 29th, Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,867 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.40, for a total transaction of $430,156.80.

Natera Stock Performance

NTRA traded down $5.42 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $194.75. 963,644 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,219,699. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.71 billion, a PE ratio of -127.29 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $202.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $213.80. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $131.81 and a 1 year high of $256.36.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.46) by $0.81. The firm had revenue of $665.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $600.68 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 9.03% and a negative return on equity of 15.28%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.41) EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on NTRA shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. William Blair started coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $300.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Natera from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $253.47.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust increased its position in shares of Natera by 103.8% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.