Guardant Health, Inc. $GH Shares Newly Acquired by Machina Capital S.A.S.

Machina Capital S.A.S. bought a new position in shares of Guardant Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:GH) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 17,370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,098,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in Guardant Health in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $208,592,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Guardant Health during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $196,737,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Guardant Health by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 730,980 shares of the company’s stock valued at $127,739,000 after acquiring an additional 84,471 shares during the period. First Light Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Guardant Health by 57.5% during the 2nd quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC now owns 441,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,251,000 after acquiring an additional 161,287 shares during the period. Finally, Orbimed Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Guardant Health in the 1st quarter valued at $40,199,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.60% of the company’s stock.

Guardant Health News Roundup

Investors following GH have been watching these news items:

• Positive Sentiment: Guardant introduced new epigenomic applications for Guardant360 Liquid, intended to help oncologists assess potential treatment response when traditional biomarkers are unavailable. The added capabilities could broaden the test’s clinical usefulness. Article: Guardant Health Introduces New Epigenomic Applications
• Positive Sentiment: A study published in ESMO Open examined Guardant360 Liquid and Guardant Reveal for assessing recurrence risk after surgery for colorectal cancer metastases. The publication adds clinical evidence for the company’s tests in post-surgical cancer monitoring. Article: PRECISION Study Published in ESMO Open
• Negative Sentiment: TwinStrand secured another USPTO win in its patent dispute with Guardant, an unfavorable development that could increase uncertainty around the ongoing intellectual-property case. Article: TwinStrand Secures Another USPTO Win

Guardant Health Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of GH stock opened at $154.78 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $168.99 and a 200 day moving average of $132.61. The stock has a market cap of $20.94 billion, a P/E ratio of -42.06 and a beta of 1.67. Guardant Health, Inc. has a twelve month low of $74.55 and a twelve month high of $191.05.

Guardant Health (NASDAQ:GH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The company reported ($0.29) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.75) by $0.46. The company had revenue of $360.98 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $350.72 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.74) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 36.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Guardant Health, Inc. will post -3.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CTO Darya Chudova sold 7,738 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total transaction of $1,377,364.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 70,635 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,573,030. This trade represents a 9.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Alex M. Azar II sold 826 shares of Guardant Health stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $144,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $144,375. The trade was a 50.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 53,155 shares of company stock valued at $9,107,025. 5.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on GH shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Guardant Health in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 target price on shares of Guardant Health in a report on Friday, July 31st. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Guardant Health from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of Guardant Health from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Guardant Health in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Guardant Health has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $190.88.

About Guardant Health

Guardant Health is a precision oncology company that develops blood- and tissue-based tests to help guide cancer care. Founded in 2012 by Helmy Eltoukhy and AmirAli Talasaz, the company focuses on using genomic information to support cancer detection, treatment selection and disease monitoring. Its products include Guardant360 tests, which analyze tumor-related genetic changes to help inform treatment decisions, and Guardant Reveal, which is designed to detect residual or recurring cancer after treatment.