GRAIL, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRAL) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give GRAIL a consensus rating of "Hold" from eight firms (1 sell, 3 hold, 4 buy) with an average 12‑month price target of about $68.63.
• Significant insider selling occurred on April 8th—CEO Robert Ragusa sold 123,502 shares and President Joshua Ofman sold 61,665 shares—and insiders have sold 310,267 shares worth roughly $15.5 million in the last 90 days.
• GRAIL reported a ($2.44) EPS that beat estimates (vs. ($3.33)), with $43.6 million in revenue, but remains unprofitable (negative net margin of 277.46%) and analysts forecast about –$11.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Shares of GRAIL, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRAL - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the eight research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $68.6250.

GRAL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of GRAIL in a research note on Friday, April 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $54.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of GRAIL from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of GRAIL in a research note on Friday, April 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $58.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of GRAIL in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group cut their target price on shares of GRAIL from $105.00 to $80.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 20th.

Insider Activity at GRAIL

In related news, CEO Robert P. Ragusa sold 123,502 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.92, for a total value of $6,165,219.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 518,582 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,887,613.44. This represents a 19.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, President Joshua J. Ofman sold 61,665 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.92, for a total transaction of $3,078,316.80. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 371,216 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,531,102.72. This trade represents a 14.25% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 310,267 shares of company stock worth $15,485,396.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GRAIL

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of GRAIL in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of GRAIL in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of GRAIL in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Comerica Bank lifted its position in shares of GRAIL by 59.2% in the 3rd quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 465 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in GRAIL by 15,733.3% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 475 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 472 shares in the last quarter.

GRAIL Price Performance

GRAIL stock opened at $55.66 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $50.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.39 billion, a PE ratio of -4.98 and a beta of 3.03. GRAIL has a 12-month low of $29.95 and a 12-month high of $118.84.

GRAIL (NASDAQ:GRAL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported ($2.44) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($3.33) by $0.89. GRAIL had a negative net margin of 277.46% and a negative return on equity of 17.11%. The business had revenue of $43.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.33 million. On average, analysts forecast that GRAIL will post -11.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GRAIL Company Profile

GRAIL, Inc NASDAQ: GRAL is a biotechnology company dedicated to the early detection of cancer through a multi-cancer blood test. Leveraging advances in next-generation sequencing, cell-free DNA (cfDNA) analysis and machine learning, GRAIL has developed the Galleri™ test, which aims to identify more than 50 types of cancer at their earliest stages. The company's platform analyzes methylation patterns in circulating tumor DNA to pinpoint tumor presence and tissue of origin, enabling physicians to pursue timely diagnostic follow-up.

Founded in 2016 as a spin-out from Illumina, GRAIL established its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, with additional research and operations centers in the United Kingdom.

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