John Fesko Sells 931 Shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) insider John Fesko sold 931 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.07, for a total value of $236,539.17. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 184,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,766,410.83. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 Monday, July 27th, John Fesko sold 782 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.49, for a total value of $203,703.18.
• 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 stock was sold at an average price of $206.16, for a total transaction of $59,992.56.

Natera Price Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $269.66 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $38.62 billion, a P/E ratio of -165.44 and a beta of 1.51. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $245.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $221.90. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $131.81 and a one year high of $288.04.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on NTRA shares. Barclays lowered 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. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, July 6th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $267.83.

Key Headlines Impacting Natera

Here are the key news stories impacting Natera this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable: Canaccord Genuity raised its price target to $330 and maintained a “buy” rating, while the broader analyst consensus is “Moderate Buy” with an average target of $267.83. Analyst and Natera market coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional ownership and recent buying provide additional support. Major investors including Coatue Management, Wellington Management, Norges Bank, JPMorgan and AQR Capital Management increased their positions; institutions collectively own approximately 99.9% of the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 5,064 shares worth about $1.28 million, while CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,770 shares for roughly $1.48 million. Because the sales were pre-arranged and intended to satisfy tax-withholding obligations, they are less likely to signal reduced management confidence. CFO SEC filing CEO SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Insiders John Fesko and Solomon Moshkevich also sold shares under similar tax-related plans, while retaining sizable positions. Fesko’s latest sale involved 782 shares worth approximately $203,700. Fesko SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: The concentration of insider selling could create modest short-term selling pressure and may prompt valuation concerns. Natera also trades at a high valuation relative to its earnings profile, with a negative trailing price-to-earnings ratio, although no new operational warning accompanied the filings.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. Robinhood Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter valued at $12,981,000. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in Natera by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 438,857 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $100,538,000 after buying an additional 71,355 shares in the last quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG bought a new position in Natera in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,825,000. ABN Amro Investment Solutions raised its stake in Natera by 44.6% during the first quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 9,346 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,869,000 after acquiring an additional 2,883 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its stake in Natera by 286.8% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 65,717 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $15,055,000 after acquiring an additional 48,728 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently 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.