Robert Ragusa Sells 7,461 Shares of GRAIL (NASDAQ:GRAL) Stock

GRAIL, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRAL) CEO Robert Ragusa sold 7,461 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.89, for a total value of $357,307.29. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 642,084 shares in the company, valued at $30,749,402.76. This represents a 1.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

GRAIL Stock Performance

Shares of GRAIL stock opened at $48.67 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $87.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.10. GRAIL, Inc. has a one year low of $20.44 and a one year high of $118.84. The company has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a PE ratio of -4.35 and a beta of 5.18.

GRAIL (NASDAQ:GRAL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported ($2.44) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($3.33) by $0.89. GRAIL had a negative net margin of 277.46% and a negative return on equity of 17.58%. The firm had revenue of $43.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $43.33 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that GRAIL, Inc. will post -15.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of GRAIL in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Guggenheim upped their price objective on GRAIL from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. TD Cowen started coverage on GRAIL in a report on Thursday, February 19th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $82.00 target price on GRAIL in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $90.17.

GRAIL News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting GRAIL this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Institutions adding stakes: Several large funds materially increased positions in Q4 (Farallon, Morgan Stanley, State Street, Baker Bros.), signaling confidence from sophisticated investors and providing a steady demand base. MarketBeat institutional ownership summary
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat EPS estimates (reported ($2.44) vs consensus ($3.33)) and revenue was roughly in line, which supports the case that core business traction (Galleri test adoption) is progressing. (Market reaction is mixed given continued multi-year losses.) Earnings & analyst summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst activity: Some firms trimmed price targets (Morgan Stanley cut to $60, Canaccord lowered targets), while others remain bullish (Guggenheim raised its target earlier). Overall consensus remains around a “Hold” with divergent price targets, adding to uncertainty on near-term direction. Analyst notes
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jumped in February to ~6.3M shares (16.2% of float), up ~15% from mid‑February; days-to-cover ~1.9. A higher short percent increases downward pressure and volatility, especially given GRAL’s high beta. (Elevated shorting can amplify declines while also enabling short‑squeeze risk.)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by top executives: CEO Robert Ragusa, President Joshua Ofman and CFO Aaron Freidin reported multiple sales in early March (CEO sale filings: Read More.; President filings: Read More.; CFO filings: Read More.). While sizes are modest vs. their holdings, clustered executive sales can spook investors and weigh on sentiment. InsiderTrades article

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GRAIL

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GRAL. Farallon Capital Management LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 993,684 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its position in shares of GRAIL by 63.8% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,511,687 shares of the company’s stock worth $129,385,000 after purchasing an additional 588,647 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of GRAIL by 38.8% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,827,523 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,418,000 after purchasing an additional 510,546 shares in the last quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of GRAIL by 27.9% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of GRAIL in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,874,000.

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.