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

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) insider John Fesko sold 782 shares of Natera stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider directly owned 185,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,190,650. This represents a 0.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through 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.

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

Natera Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NTRA opened at $253.82 on Thursday. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $131.81 and a 12-month high of $288.04. The company has a market cap of $36.35 billion, a PE ratio of -155.72 and a beta of 1.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $244.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $221.65.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Natera in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 132.9% in the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Natera this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Most notably, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 5,064 shares for approximately $1.28 million, while CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,770 shares for about $1.48 million. Both executives cited pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans and said the sales were made to cover tax-withholding obligations related to vested equity awards, reducing the likelihood that the transactions signal a loss of confidence. CFO SEC filing CEO SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Insiders John Fesko and Solomon Moshkevich also sold a combined 3,927 shares worth approximately $1.01 million under similar pre-arranged plans to meet tax obligations. They retained substantial holdings after the sales, further limiting the negative interpretation. Fesko SEC filing Moshkevich SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: The concentration of sales by the CEO, CFO and other insiders may nevertheless create modest short-term selling pressure or raise valuation concerns, particularly because NTRA remains well below its 52-week high and carries a negative trailing price-to-earnings ratio. However, the filings contain no new operational or financial warning.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. 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 report on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on Natera from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $249.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Natera in a report on Friday, June 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $267.83.

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.