Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) CEO Steven Leonard Chapman Sells 3,580 Shares

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 3,580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.07, for a total value of $909,570.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 102,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,162,350.11. The trade was a 3.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible 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.

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

• On Monday, July 27th, Steven Leonard Chapman sold 2,190 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.49, for a total transaction of $570,473.10.
• On Thursday, June 4th, Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.03, for a total transaction of $9,089,637.72.
• On Friday, May 1st, Steven Leonard Chapman sold 902 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.16, for a total value of $185,956.32.

Natera Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $253.82 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $36.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -155.72 and a beta of 1.51. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $131.81 and a 1-year high of $288.04. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $244.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $221.65.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 68.3% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,552 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 1,847 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in Natera by 8.6% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,993 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $847,000 after buying an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Natera during the second quarter worth $298,000. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new position in Natera during the second quarter valued at about $558,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Natera News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Natera this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Most notably, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 5,064 shares for approximately $1.28 million, while CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,770 shares for about $1.48 million. Both executives cited pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans and said the sales were made to cover tax-withholding obligations related to vested equity awards, reducing the likelihood that the transactions signal a loss of confidence. CFO SEC filing CEO SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Insiders John Fesko and Solomon Moshkevich also sold a combined 3,927 shares worth approximately $1.01 million under similar pre-arranged plans to meet tax obligations. They retained substantial holdings after the sales, further limiting the negative interpretation. Fesko SEC filing Moshkevich SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: The concentration of sales by the CEO, CFO and other insiders may nevertheless create modest short-term selling pressure or raise valuation concerns, particularly because NTRA remains well below its 52-week high and carries a negative trailing price-to-earnings ratio. However, the filings contain no new operational or financial warning.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on NTRA shares. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $310.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Natera from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Natera from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $267.83.

About Natera

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.