Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Insider John Fesko Sells 302 Shares of Company Stock

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) insider John Fesko sold 302 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.01, for a total value of $120,803.02. Following the sale, the insider owned 195,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $78,112,352.76. This represents a 0.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 Wednesday, October 28th, John Fesko sold 898 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.34, for a total value of $382,853.32.
• On Tuesday, October 27th, John Fesko sold 781 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $406.00, for a total value of $317,086.00.
• On Monday, August 10th, John Fesko sold 6,517 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.53, for a total value of $2,095,411.01.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $391.03 on Thursday. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $181.00 and a 1 year high of $437.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -287.52 and a beta of 1.55. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $380.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $268.64.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.49) by $0.02. Natera had a negative net margin of 7.11% and a negative return on equity of 11.38%. The company had revenue of $752.75 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $661.24 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.74) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Natera

Here are the key news stories impacting Natera this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Medicare coverage for Signatera in HCC could improve patient access and support adoption of Natera’s cancer-monitoring tests. The coverage milestone adds to the commercial opportunity for its oncology business. Natera Medicare coverage for Signatera in HCC
• Positive Sentiment: New ESMO oncology evidence was described as broadening the case for Natera’s cancer-testing portfolio, potentially reinforcing the longer-term growth story. ESMO data broaden Natera’s oncology case
• Neutral Sentiment: Natera was expected to report earnings on November 5, making results and management’s outlook a near-term catalyst; the preview article did not provide reported results. Natera earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: The reported analyst consensus price target was $394.31, close to the share price cited in the provided market background, suggesting limited implied upside from that target alone. Natera consensus target price
• Neutral Sentiment: CFO Michael Brophy sold 1,178 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and retained 48,480 shares. The scheduled nature and relatively small size of the sale may temper its significance as a signal about management’s outlook. CFO share sale report

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Natera from $360.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Stephens raised their price objective on Natera from $305.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on Natera in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $385.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Natera from $365.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Roth Capital assumed coverage on Natera in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $475.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $394.31.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Lido Advisors LLC increased its stake in Natera by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 3,627 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,499,000 after buying an additional 424 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Natera in the 3rd quarter worth $229,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in Natera in the 3rd quarter worth $93,000. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 11,442 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $4,729,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ethic Inc. boosted its position in Natera by 30.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 1,835 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $759,000 after buying an additional 427 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Natera

Natera, Inc is a diagnostics company that develops and commercializes molecular testing services designed to provide personalized genetic and genomic information. Its tests are used across reproductive health, oncology and organ transplantation, with the company combining next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics to analyze DNA and monitor disease-related signals.

In reproductive health, Natera offers Panorama noninvasive prenatal screening, Horizon carrier screening and Vistara single-gene disorder screening.