Steven Leonard Chapman Sells 6,702 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,702 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.03, for a total transaction of $978,693.06. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 203,354 shares in the company, valued at $29,695,784.62. The trade was a 3.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Steven Leonard Chapman also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, March 5th, Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $12,514,804.80.
• On Wednesday, January 29th, Steven Leonard Chapman sold 13,685 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.87, for a total value of $2,269,930.95.
• On Wednesday, January 22nd, Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $149.63 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.23 billion, a PE ratio of -85.02 and a beta of 1.80. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $161.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $149.27. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $83.13 and a twelve month high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. The business had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. Equities research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on NTRA. Barclays assumed coverage on Natera in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $178.12.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Natera by 104.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Natera by 345.8% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 372.9% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Natera by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently 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.