GRAIL (NASDAQ:GRAL) Hits New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of GRAIL, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRAL) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday after Mizuho raised their price target on the stock from $65.00 to $100.00. Mizuho currently has a neutral rating on the stock. GRAIL traded as high as $126.81 and last traded at $125.21, with a volume of 3442777 shares. The stock had previously closed at $108.52.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on GRAL. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of GRAIL in a report on Thursday, September 17th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $84.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of GRAIL in a report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of GRAIL from $96.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on GRAIL in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded GRAIL from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 13th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $78.60.

Insider Activity at GRAIL

In other news, CEO Joshua Ofman sold 61,452 shares of GRAIL stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.74, for a total value of $6,006,318.48. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 362,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,408,367.54. This trade represents a 14.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 Freidin sold 7,900 shares of GRAIL stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.01, for a total transaction of $671,579.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 253,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,514,585.83. This represents a 3.03% 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 78,452 shares of company stock worth $7,485,691. Corporate insiders own 1.83% of the company’s stock.

GRAIL News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting GRAIL this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FDA advisers recommended approval of Galleri after supporting its safety and narrowly endorsing its efficacy. A final FDA ruling is expected in the coming months; approval could expand insurance coverage, market access and adoption of GRAIL’s primary product. Reuters FDA panel article
• Positive Sentiment: The regulatory catalyst has driven a substantial weekly rally and helped GRAL reach a new 52-week high, as investors price in the potential commercial impact of FDA approval. Seeking Alpha FDA panel article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains cautious following the rally. Mizuho raised its price target to $100 from $65 but maintained a neutral rating, while RBC Capital reiterated its hold rating. These targets remain below recent trading levels, suggesting analysts view much of the FDA optimism as already reflected in the valuation. RBC Capital hold rating
• Negative Sentiment: The panel’s narrow efficacy endorsement leaves regulatory and adoption risks unresolved. Galleri’s commercial opportunity depends on final FDA approval, physician and insurer acceptance, and evidence that the test improves patient outcomes. Yahoo Finance FDA panel valuation article
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling may weigh modestly on sentiment: CEO Joshua Ofman sold 61,452 shares and CFO Aaron Freidin sold 4,100 shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. The transactions are less concerning than discretionary sales but can add pressure after the sharp advance. GRAIL insider sale article

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in shares of GRAIL by 20.5% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 3,577,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $244,207,000 after purchasing an additional 608,539 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of GRAIL by 26.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,385,514 shares of the company’s stock worth $162,859,000 after purchasing an additional 493,621 shares during the period. Primecap Management Co. CA acquired a new position in shares of GRAIL during the 2nd quarter worth about $148,836,000. Baker BROS. Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of GRAIL by 27.9% during the 4th quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP now owns 2,085,333 shares of the company’s stock worth $178,484,000 after purchasing an additional 455,208 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in GRAIL by 29.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 914,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,241,000 after purchasing an additional 205,611 shares during the period.

GRAIL Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $5.67 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.01 and a beta of 3.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $78.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.68.

GRAIL (NASDAQ:GRAL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($2.56) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.66) by $0.10. GRAIL had a negative return on equity of 15.88% and a negative net margin of 236.95%.The company had revenue of $44.69 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.39 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that GRAIL, Inc. will post -10.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About GRAIL

GRAIL, Inc is a healthcare company focused on developing blood-based tests for the early detection of cancer. Its technology uses genomic and epigenomic signals, including patterns of DNA methylation, to identify signals associated with multiple cancer types from a single blood sample.

The company’s primary product is Galleri, a prescription blood test designed to screen for signals of more than 50 types of cancer, including cancers that currently lack recommended screening methods. Galleri is intended to complement, not replace, guideline-recommended cancer screenings, and a positive result requires follow-up diagnostic testing to determine whether cancer is present and where it may be located.

GRAIL was founded in 2016 as a subsidiary of Illumina and became an independent publicly traded company following its separation from Illumina in 2021.