Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Insider John Fesko Sells 782 Shares

Key Points

• Natera insider John Fesko sold 782 shares for approximately $203,703 at an average price of $260.49, reducing his position by 0.42%. The sale occurred under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover tax withholding tied to vested equity awards.
• Natera shares traded at $253.82, up 0.6%, with a $36.35 billion market capitalization. The stock has traded between $131.81 and $288.04 over the past year.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $267.83; institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) insider John Fesko sold 782 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.49, for a total value of $203,703.18. Following the transaction, the insider owned 185,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,190,650. This trade represents a 0.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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.

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

• On Tuesday, July 28th, John Fesko sold 931 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.07, for a total transaction of $236,539.17.
• On Tuesday, May 26th, John Fesko sold 1,438 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.84, for a total transaction of $291,683.92.
• On Friday, May 1st, John Fesko sold 291 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.16, for a total transaction of $59,992.56.

Natera Trading Up 0.6%

NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $1.60 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $253.82. 925,147 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,091,572. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $244.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $221.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -155.72 and a beta of 1.51. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $131.81 and a 12 month high of $288.04.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Horizon Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 244 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in Natera by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 270 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 1,541 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $353,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 905 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $181,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 982 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $196,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on NTRA shares. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Natera from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Natera in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $260.00 price target on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Natera in a report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $310.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $267.83.

About Natera

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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