Personalis Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:PSNL)

Key Points

• Personalis saw unusually heavy options activity on Thursday, with investors buying 7,031 call options—about 888% above the stock’s average daily call volume.
• Insiders have been selling shares, including CEO Christopher M. Hall and CFO Aaron Tachibana, both through pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 335,032 shares worth about $4.09 million.
• The stock rose 5.2% to $14.85, near its 52-week high of $15.36, while analysts currently have a mixed outlook with an average “Moderate Buy” rating and a $11.00 price target.

Personalis, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSNL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Investors acquired 7,031 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 888% compared to the average daily volume of 712 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Christopher M. Hall sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.15, for a total transaction of $1,315,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 235,986 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,103,215.90. This represents a 29.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Aaron Tachibana sold 4,982 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.00, for a total value of $69,748.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 198,833 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,662. The trade was a 2.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 335,032 shares of company stock valued at $4,091,929. Corporate insiders own 4.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Personalis

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in Personalis by 3.2% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 78,341 shares of the company's stock valued at $275,000 after acquiring an additional 2,395 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd boosted its position in shares of Personalis by 75.6% during the 1st quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 76,729 shares of the company's stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 33,044 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Personalis by 55.7% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 284,426 shares of the company's stock valued at $998,000 after purchasing an additional 101,706 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth acquired a new stake in Personalis during the first quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Personalis by 505.6% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 29,491 shares of the company's stock worth $193,000 after purchasing an additional 24,621 shares in the last quarter. 61.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Personalis Trading Up 5.2%

NASDAQ:PSNL traded up $0.74 on Thursday, hitting $14.85. The company had a trading volume of 2,773,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,181,774. Personalis has a 52 week low of $3.84 and a 52 week high of $15.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -14.56 and a beta of 2.24. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $9.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.57.

Personalis (NASDAQ:PSNL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.29) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.23) by ($0.06). Personalis had a negative return on equity of 43.52% and a negative net margin of 148.11%.The company had revenue of $15.47 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.48 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Personalis will post -1.06 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on PSNL shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Personalis from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Personalis in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Personalis from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, BTIG Research decreased their price target on Personalis from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $11.00.

About Personalis

Personalis, Inc NASDAQ: PSNL is a clinical‐stage genomics company that develops and markets advanced next‐generation sequencing (NGS) services and assays designed to accelerate precision medicine. The Company's core offering is the ImmunoID NeXT™ Platform, which combines comprehensive tumor profiling—including whole exome, transcriptome, and T‐cell receptor sequencing—with proprietary bioinformatics to identify biomarkers and guide immuno‐oncology research. Personalis serves biopharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, and clinical research organizations seeking in‐depth insights into cancer, autoimmune diseases and other complex conditions.

In addition to its flagship ImmunoID NeXT™ Platform, Personalis offers a suite of customizable sequencing assays for biomarker discovery, clinical trial support and companion diagnostic development.

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