Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Insider John Fesko Sells 707 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• John Fesko sold 707 shares of Natera on March 10 at an average price of $204.13, reducing his stake to 189,199 shares (a 0.37% ownership decrease) in a transaction disclosed to the SEC.
• Fesko has been selling repeatedly this year — including a large 17,806‑share sale on January 20 — signaling a pattern of insider dispositions.
• Natera recently posted an earnings beat with $0.35 EPS (vs. -$0.46 expected) and $665.5M revenue; the stock trades near $196.61 while analysts hold a "Moderate Buy" consensus and an average target of $253.47.

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) insider John Fesko sold 707 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.13, for a total value of $144,319.91. Following the transaction, the insider owned 189,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,621,191.87. This trade represents a 0.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

John Fesko also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, February 3rd, John Fesko sold 3,594 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.02, for a total transaction of $830,285.88.
• On Wednesday, January 28th, John Fesko sold 928 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.66, for a total transaction of $220,548.48.
• On Tuesday, January 27th, John Fesko sold 784 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.53, for a total transaction of $188,575.52.
• On Wednesday, January 21st, John Fesko sold 339 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $79,665.00.
• On Tuesday, January 20th, John Fesko sold 17,806 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.74, for a total transaction of $4,179,780.44.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA stock traded down $2.34 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $196.61. 1,404,465 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,084,721. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -128.50 and a beta of 1.65. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $125.38 and a one year high of $256.36. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $221.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $206.07.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by $0.81. Natera had a negative return on equity of 15.28% and a negative net margin of 9.03%.The firm had revenue of $665.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $600.68 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.41) earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on NTRA. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Natera from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Natera from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $218.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $253.47.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Palladiem LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust lifted its position in Natera by 103.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 95.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 225 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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