Vanguard Group Inc. Raises Holdings in Guardant Health, Inc. $GH

Key Points

• Vanguard increased its Q4 stake in Guardant Health by 2.1%, adding 251,939 shares to hold 12,160,768 shares (about 9.65% of the company) valued at roughly $1.24 billion.
• Guardant reported quarterly revenue of $281.3 million (beat estimates and up 39.4% YoY) but missed on EPS at ($0.50) versus an expected ($0.43); analysts forecast -2.87 EPS for the year.
• Institutional investors own 92.6% of the stock and analysts show a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $128.63 (19 Buys, 1 Hold, 1 Sell), while insiders have sold 8,596 shares in the past 90 days and still own 6.10%.

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Guardant Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:GH - Free Report) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,160,768 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 251,939 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 9.65% of Guardant Health worth $1,242,101,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Guardant Health by 56.5% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 71,534 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,012,000 after purchasing an additional 25,831 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Guardant Health in the first quarter worth $274,000. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of Guardant Health by 15.8% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 77,308 shares of the company's stock worth $4,023,000 after buying an additional 10,538 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 54,284 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Guardant Health by 56.4% during the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 111,445 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,800,000 after buying an additional 40,209 shares during the last quarter. 92.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Guardant Health Price Performance

Shares of Guardant Health stock opened at $87.60 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $89.30 and a 200 day moving average of $95.91. The firm has a market cap of $11.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -26.47 and a beta of 1.49. Guardant Health, Inc. has a 1 year low of $36.36 and a 1 year high of $120.74.

Guardant Health (NASDAQ:GH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported ($0.50) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.43) by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $281.27 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $269.74 million. Guardant Health's quarterly revenue was up 39.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.62) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Guardant Health, Inc. will post -2.87 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on GH shares. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Guardant Health from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $129.00 price objective on shares of Guardant Health in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. BTIG Research increased their target price on shares of Guardant Health from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Mizuho set a $135.00 target price on Guardant Health in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on Guardant Health from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.63.

Insider Buying and Selling at Guardant Health

In related news, Director Musa Tariq sold 348 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.09, for a total transaction of $30,655.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,394 shares of the company's stock, valued at $739,427.46. This trade represents a 3.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Medina Manuel Hidalgo sold 1,300 shares of Guardant Health stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.54, for a total value of $119,002.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,193 shares of the company's stock, valued at $109,207.22. The trade was a 52.15% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 8,596 shares of company stock valued at $775,767 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Guardant Health Profile

Guardant Health, Inc is a precision oncology company specializing in blood-based cancer diagnostics. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Redwood City, California, the company develops non-invasive tests that use circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) to profile genomic alterations in patients with solid tumors. Guardant Health's mission is to advance cancer care by providing actionable data to clinicians, pharmaceutical partners and researchers worldwide.

The company's flagship product, Guardant360, is a next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay designed to detect mutations, copy number variations and select fusions in more than 70 cancer-related genes.

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