Personalis, Inc. $PSNL Stock: Howland Capital Management LLC Reduces Holdings

Howland Capital Management LLC reduced its position in Personalis, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSNL) by 41.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 327,388 shares of the company’s stock after selling 228,253 shares during the quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Personalis were worth $5,330,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Merck & Co. Inc. bought a new position in Personalis during the second quarter worth $188,202,236. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Personalis during the second quarter valued at $94,905,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Personalis during the second quarter valued at $24,395,000. AIGH Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Personalis during the second quarter valued at $22,981,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Personalis by 8.4% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,066,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,791,000 after acquiring an additional 83,074 shares during the last quarter. 61.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Personalis

In other news, CFO Aaron Tachibana sold 2,931 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.22, for a total transaction of $47,540.82. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 195,902 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,177,530.44. This represents a 1.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Christopher Hall sold 7,459 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.22, for a total transaction of $120,984.98. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 228,527 shares in the company, valued at $3,706,707.94. This trade represents a 3.16% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 16,456 shares of company stock valued at $266,916. 4.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Personalis Stock Down 0.5%

Personalis stock opened at $15.82 on Friday. Personalis, Inc. has a 12-month low of $4.95 and a 12-month high of $18.89. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $16.26 and its 200 day moving average is $12.32. The company has a market capitalization of $1.66 billion, a PE ratio of -14.51 and a beta of 2.32.

Personalis (NASDAQ:PSNL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $22.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.69 million. Personalis had a negative return on equity of 46.47% and a negative net margin of 153.84%. Sell-side analysts expect that Personalis, Inc. will post -1.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on PSNL shares. Craig Hallum downgraded Personalis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $16.25 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, August 24th. Needham & Company LLC downgraded Personalis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Zacks Research upgraded Personalis from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 7th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Personalis in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Lake Street Capital downgraded Personalis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $16.25 target price for the company. in a report on Monday, July 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.54.

Personalis Profile

Personalis, Inc is a genomics company focused on applying advanced sequencing and bioinformatics to cancer research and precision medicine. The company develops tests and data platforms designed to help researchers and clinicians characterize tumors, monitor disease, and support the development of targeted therapies.

Its product portfolio includes the NeXT Platform, which analyzes tumor and normal DNA and RNA to provide a detailed view of cancer biology, as well as products such as NeXT Dx, NeXT Liquid Biopsy, and NeXT Personal.