Insider Selling: Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) CFO Sells $184,000.30 in Stock

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) CFO Michael Brophy sold 470 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.49, for a total transaction of $184,000.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 45,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,922,020.71. This trade represents a 1.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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.

Michael Burkes Brophy also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, November 2nd, Michael Brophy sold 325 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $399.99, for a total transaction of $129,996.75.
• On Wednesday, October 28th, Michael Brophy sold 1,178 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.46, for a total transaction of $502,369.88.
• On Friday, October 30th, Michael Brophy sold 1,906 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.55, for a total transaction of $811,098.30.
• On Wednesday, October 28th, Michael Brophy sold 1,198 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.34, for a total value of $510,755.32.
• On Tuesday, October 27th, Michael Brophy 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.

Natera Stock Performance

Natera stock traded up $2.40 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $391.03. 2,799,993 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,672,252. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $380.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $268.64. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $181.00 and a 52-week high of $437.41.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Natera from $355.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Natera from $360.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Zacks Research downgraded Natera from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Leerink Partners set a $330.00 target price on Natera in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Natera from $290.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $394.31.

Natera News Roundup

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

Institutional Trading of Natera

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the second quarter worth about $2,962,770,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Natera during the second quarter worth approximately $199,960,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at $150,143,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at about $149,278,000. Finally, Avala Global LP acquired a new position in Natera during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $124,867,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently 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.