John Fesko Sells 782 Shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) insider John Fesko sold 782 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.49, for a total transaction of $203,703.18. Following the sale, the insider owned 185,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,190,650. The trade was a 0.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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.

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 shares were sold at an average price of $206.16, for a total transaction of $59,992.56.

Natera Stock Up 6.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $269.66 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $131.81 and a fifty-two week high of $288.04. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $245.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $221.90. The company has a market cap of $38.62 billion, a PE ratio of -165.44 and a beta of 1.51.

Key Stories 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research started coverage on Natera in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price target on the stock. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Natera from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Natera in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price objective for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Natera in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $310.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Natera from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $267.83.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Natera in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Palladiem LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Natera by 132.9% during the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

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.