Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) CEO Sells $978,693.06 in Stock

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

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 transaction 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 transaction of $2,269,930.95.
• On Wednesday, January 22nd, Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of Natera stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $12,958,888.41.

Natera Stock Up 3.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA traded up $4.59 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $150.87. 2,162,925 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,349,026. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $162.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $149.27. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $83.13 and a one year high of $183.00. The company has a market cap of $20.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -85.72 and a beta of 1.80.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 27.0% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 86,144 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $10,936,000 after purchasing an additional 18,316 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Natera during the third quarter valued at approximately $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $573,000. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Natera during the third quarter valued at approximately $505,000. Finally, First Turn Management LLC purchased a new stake in Natera during the third quarter valued at approximately $19,760,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on NTRA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, February 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $178.12.

About Natera

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.