Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Insider John Fesko Sells 663 Shares

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total transaction of $117,861.51. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 156,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,739,941.88. This represents a 0.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

John Fesko also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, December 23rd, John Fesko sold 669 shares of Natera stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total value of $106,772.40.

Natera Stock Down 1.3 %

NTRA stock traded down $2.32 on Friday, hitting $172.82. 857,965 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,331,850. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $167.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $140.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.33 and a 12-month high of $183.00. The stock has a market cap of $22.82 billion, a P/E ratio of -98.19 and a beta of 1.66.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $361.43 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.95) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on NTRA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Barclays began 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.88.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in Natera by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 11,342 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,795,000 after purchasing an additional 1,023 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Natera by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 2,170 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $344,000 after buying an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 30,231 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,786,000 after buying an additional 3,892 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,951 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $467,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $286,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.