Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Insider John Fesko Sells 929 Shares

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) insider John Fesko sold 929 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.14, for a total value of $86,527.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 110,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,315,068.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Natera Stock Up 1.4 %

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $94.15 on Thursday. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $36.90 and a 1 year high of $98.82. The company has a quick ratio of 3.96, a current ratio of 4.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $89.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.74.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.73) by $0.09. Natera had a negative return on equity of 62.19% and a negative net margin of 40.16%. The firm had revenue of $311.11 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $300.38 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -2.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NTRA has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Craig Hallum assumed coverage on Natera in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $117.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James lowered Natera from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $68.00 to $85.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.40.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $83,970,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Natera by 115.7% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,654,303 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $73,203,000 after buying an additional 887,409 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Natera by 52.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,529,496 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $111,930,000 after buying an additional 865,404 shares during the period. Perceptive Advisors LLC increased its position in Natera by 289.7% during the fourth quarter. Perceptive Advisors LLC now owns 850,225 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $53,258,000 after buying an additional 632,047 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Natera by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,971,895 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $687,280,000 after buying an additional 588,147 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Company Profile

Natera, Inc, a diagnostics company, develops and commercializes molecular testing services worldwide. Its products include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities of a fetus, as well as in twin pregnancies; Horizon carrier screening test for individuals and couples determine if they are carriers of genetic variations that cause certain genetic conditions; Vistara single-gene NIPT screens for 25 single-gene disorders that cause severe skeletal, cardiac, and neurological conditions; Spectrum, preimplantation genetic tests for couples undergoing IVF; Anora that analyzes miscarriage tissue from women; Empower, a hereditary cancer screening test; and non-invasive prenatal paternity product, which allows a couple to establish paternity without waiting for the child to be born.