VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Takes Position in Guardant Health, Inc. $GH

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new stake in shares of Guardant Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:GH) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 26,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,938,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of GH. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Guardant Health by 56.5% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 71,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,012,000 after acquiring an additional 25,831 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Guardant Health in the 1st quarter worth approximately $274,000. Sei Investments Co. increased its position in shares of Guardant Health by 15.8% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 77,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,023,000 after purchasing an additional 10,538 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in shares of Guardant Health by 9.4% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 632,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,922,000 after purchasing an additional 54,284 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Guardant Health by 56.4% in the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 111,445 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,800,000 after purchasing an additional 40,209 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.60% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Guardant Health news, Director Ian T. Clark sold 14,180 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.92, for a total value of $2,253,485.60. Following the sale, the director owned 2,975 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,787. This represents a 82.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Medina Hidalgo sold 1,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.24, for a total transaction of $279,208.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,556 shares in the company, valued at $748,277.44. The trade was a 27.17% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 427,024 shares of company stock valued at $67,113,285 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on GH shares. Bank of America upped their target price on Guardant Health from $135.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Guardant Health from $175.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Guardant Health from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Guardant Health in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Guardant Health in a research report on Friday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Guardant Health has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.71.

Guardant Health Stock Performance

Guardant Health stock opened at $162.78 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $160.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $124.02. The company has a market cap of $21.85 billion, a PE ratio of -46.64 and a beta of 1.57. Guardant Health, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $53.40 and a fifty-two week high of $176.58.

Guardant Health (NASDAQ:GH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported ($0.42) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.76) by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $334.98 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $314.23 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.44) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 44.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Guardant Health, Inc. will post -2.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Guardant Health Company Profile

Guardant Health, Inc (NASDAQ:GH) is a precision oncology company that develops blood-based diagnostic tests designed to help detect cancer, guide treatment decisions and monitor patients over time. Its liquid biopsy technologies analyze tumor-related signals in blood, reducing the need for tissue biopsies in certain clinical and research settings.

The company’s products include Guardant360 tests, which profile advanced cancers and can help identify potentially actionable genomic alterations; Guardant Reveal, which is used to assess residual disease and recurrence risk; and Guardant Shield, a blood-based screening test for colorectal cancer.