Insider Selling: Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) CFO Sells $614,329.24 in Stock

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 2,419 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.96, for a total value of $614,329.24. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 54,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,788,758.20. This trade represents a 4.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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.

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

• On Wednesday, July 29th, Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,863 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total value of $464,594.94.
• On Monday, July 27th, Michael Burkes Brophy sold 782 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.49, for a total value of $203,703.18.
• On Monday, May 4th, Michael Burkes Brophy sold 482 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.49, for a total value of $101,456.18.
• On Friday, May 1st, Michael Burkes Brophy sold 313 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.16, for a total transaction of $64,528.08.

Natera Stock Up 0.6%

NTRA stock traded up $1.60 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $253.82. 925,147 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,091,572. The company has a market cap of $36.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -155.72 and a beta of 1.51. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $244.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $221.65. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $131.81 and a 52 week high of $288.04.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on NTRA shares. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Natera from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Zacks Research downgraded Natera from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. William Blair began coverage on Natera in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Natera in a report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $310.00 target price on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $267.83.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new position in Natera during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Natera in the third quarter worth $32,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Natera by 132.9% in the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Natera Company Profile

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.