GRAIL (NASDAQ:GRAL) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded GRAIL from a "hold" to a "sell," while overall Street coverage remains mixed with an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of about $68.63.
• Shares slipped ~4.1% to open at $45.63; the company has a market cap of ~$1.87 billion, a negative P/E, a 52‑week range of $22.30–$118.84, and reported a quarter beating EPS estimates but analysts expect a large full‑year loss.
• Senior insiders sold sizable blocks (CEO, President, CFO reduced holdings on April 8), a negative signal to markets, even as major institutions like Farallon, Morgan Stanley, State Street and Baker Bros. increased their stakes in Q4.

GRAIL (NASDAQ:GRAL - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report released on Saturday.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on GRAL. Guggenheim decreased their target price on GRAIL from $130.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on GRAIL in a report on Friday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $54.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on GRAIL from $110.00 to $60.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $82.00 target price on GRAIL in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, TD Cowen raised GRAIL from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $65.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, GRAIL presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $68.63.

GRAIL Stock Down 4.1%

Shares of NASDAQ GRAL opened at $45.63 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.08 and a beta of 4.62. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $63.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $79.53. GRAIL has a 52-week low of $22.30 and a 52-week high of $118.84.

GRAIL (NASDAQ:GRAL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported ($2.44) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($3.33) by $0.89. The business had revenue of $43.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $43.33 million. GRAIL had a negative return on equity of 17.11% and a negative net margin of 277.46%. As a group, analysts anticipate that GRAIL will post -15.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at GRAIL

In other GRAIL news, President Joshua J. Ofman sold 61,665 shares of GRAIL stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.92, for a total transaction of $3,078,316.80. Following the transaction, the president owned 371,216 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,531,102.72. The trade was a 14.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert P. Ragusa sold 123,502 shares of GRAIL stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 518,582 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,887,613.44. This trade represents a 19.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 310,267 shares of company stock valued at $15,485,396 in the last 90 days. 1.85% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GRAL. Farallon Capital Management LLC grew its stake in GRAIL by 73.7% in the fourth quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,342,684 shares of the company's stock valued at $200,510,000 after purchasing an additional 993,684 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in GRAIL by 63.8% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,511,687 shares of the company's stock valued at $129,385,000 after purchasing an additional 588,647 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in GRAIL by 38.8% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,827,523 shares of the company's stock valued at $156,418,000 after purchasing an additional 510,546 shares in the last quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP grew its stake in GRAIL by 27.9% in the fourth quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP now owns 2,085,333 shares of the company's stock valued at $178,484,000 after purchasing an additional 455,208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new position in GRAIL in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,874,000.

Trending Headlines about GRAIL

Here are the key news stories impacting GRAIL this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst consensus remains constructive: Street coverage still shows an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus price target around $72.83, implying meaningful upside from current levels. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Mizuho initiated coverage with a "neutral" rating and a $58 price target (roughly mid‑teens to low‑20s % upside vs. current quoted levels); the call is cautious and reflects uncertainty rather than outright bullishness. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Piper Sandler also initiated coverage with a "neutral" rating and a $54 price target, signaling analyst caution and limited near‑term conviction. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Reported study setback: coverage initiation notes reference a recent study disappointment that prompted the neutral stances — clinical execution and near‑term data risk are now front and center for investors. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by senior management: CEO, President and CFO sold sizable blocks on April 8 (CEO ~123,502 shares; President ~61,665; CFO ~45,806), materially reducing their holdings — a strong negative signal to the market and a likely contributor to downward pressure. Article Title

About GRAIL

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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