Guardant Health, Inc. (GH) – What Are Researchers Saying About This Stock?

Shares of Guardant Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:GH) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-six ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twenty-four have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $190.40.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on GH. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Guardant Health from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Guggenheim increased their price target on Guardant Health from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Roth Capital began coverage on Guardant Health in a report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Guardant Health from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Guardant Health in a report on Tuesday, August 25th.

Guardant Health Stock Performance

GH stock opened at $173.25 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $23.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -49.64 and a beta of 1.58. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $168.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $129.24. Guardant Health has a one year low of $68.02 and a one year high of $191.05.

Guardant Health (NASDAQ:GH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported ($0.42) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.76) by $0.34. The business had revenue of $334.98 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $314.23 million. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 44.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.44) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Guardant Health will post -3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Guardant Health

In other Guardant Health news, CEO Amirali Talasaz sold 37,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.16, for a total transaction of $6,343,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 37,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,343,500. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Alex Azar, II sold 826 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $144,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $144,375. This represents a 50.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 178,940 shares of company stock worth $30,070,911 in the last 90 days. 5.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Guardant Health

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GH. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in Guardant Health during the 2nd quarter worth about $208,592,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Guardant Health in the second quarter worth about $196,737,000. First Light Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Guardant Health by 57.5% in the second quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC now owns 441,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,251,000 after purchasing an additional 161,287 shares during the last quarter. Orbimed Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Guardant Health in the first quarter worth about $40,199,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Guardant Health by 30.2% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 341,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,499,000 after purchasing an additional 79,071 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.60% of the company’s stock.

About Guardant Health

Guardant Health, Inc (NASDAQ:GH) is a precision oncology company that develops blood-based tests and data solutions designed to help detect cancer, guide treatment decisions and monitor patients over time. Its technologies analyze circulating tumor DNA and other molecular information from blood samples, supporting more accessible and less invasive alternatives to some tissue-based testing approaches.

The company’s products include Guardant360, which helps identify genomic alterations in advanced cancers and may inform targeted treatment selection; Guardant360 Response, designed to assess a patient’s response to therapy; and Guardant Reveal, which is used to detect minimal residual disease and recurrence risk in certain cancers.