Guardant Health, Inc. (GH) Stock Price & How to Invest
Short answer
You can invest in Guardant Health (GH) by buying shares or fractional shares at any major broker, through a healthcare or genomics ETF that holds it, or as one holding in a thematic basket. The thesis is that liquid biopsy (reading cancer signals from a simple blood draw) becomes standard care across therapy selection, cancer monitoring, and early screening, and that Guardant's FDA-approved Shield blood test opens a large colorectal-cancer screening market on top of its established oncology business.
GH stock price
As of 2026-07-01, Guardant Health, Inc. (GH) last closed at $170.77, up 240.3% over the past year. Over the past 52 weeks it has traded between $40.98 and $170.77.
Prices are daily closing prices from Yahoo Finance and may be delayed. For the live quote, check your broker or Guardant Health, Inc.'s investor relations page. Walnut is informational, not investment advice.
What does Guardant Health, Inc. (GH) do?
Guardant Health is a precision-oncology company that reads cancer signals from blood and tissue samples. Its business runs across three lines. Oncology, the largest, sells tests like Guardant360 (comprehensive genomic profiling that helps match patients to targeted therapies) and Guardant Reveal (a blood test for minimal residual disease, meaning traces of cancer left after treatment). Biopharma and Data sells testing, companion-diagnostic development, and real-world data to drugmakers. Screening is the newest and most-watched line: Shield is the first blood test to win full FDA approval as a primary screening option for colorectal cancer in average-risk adults 45 and older. In Q1 2026 the company reported ~$302 million in revenue, with oncology up 36% to ~$205 million on ~86,000 tests, biopharma and data at ~$53 million, and screening at ~$41.6 million on ~44,000 Shield tests (versus ~$5.7 million a year earlier).
The company was founded in 2011 by Helmy Eltoukhy and AmirAli Talasaz, who met at the Stanford Genome Technology Center, along with Michael Wiley. It raised over $500 million privately from backers including Sequoia, Khosla, Lightspeed, OrbiMed, and SoftBank, then listed on the Nasdaq under ticker GH in 2018. Eltoukhy and Talasaz served for years as co-CEOs and remain central figures in the business and on the board. Guardant is not yet profitable: it posted an adjusted EBITDA loss of ~$59 million in Q1 2026 and continues to burn cash, largely to fund the Shield screening launch, while holding roughly $1.2 billion in cash. Management raised full-year 2026 revenue guidance to ~$1.30 to $1.32 billion and targets company-wide cash-flow breakeven by the end of 2027.
What's driving Guardant Health, Inc. (GH)?
1. Shield colorectal screening ramp
Shield is the first FDA-approved blood test for primary colorectal cancer screening, and screening revenue jumped to ~$41.6 million in Q1 2026 from ~$5.7 million a year earlier on ~44,000 tests. Inclusion in updated American Cancer Society guidelines, a $1,495 Medicare ADLT reimbursement rate, TRICARE military coverage, distribution through Quest Diagnostics, and a July 2026 UnitedHealth coverage decision all widen access. The bet is that a blood draw reaches the roughly one-third of eligible adults who skip colonoscopy and stool tests.
2. Core oncology growth and leverage
The oncology franchise (Guardant360 for therapy selection and Reveal for minimal residual disease) grew revenue 36% year over year with ~47% volume growth in Q1 2026. Management guides to oncology volume growth above 35% and revenue growth of ~28 to 29% for the full year. This established, higher-margin business is meant to fund the screening land grab and is expected to be free-cash-flow positive on its own.
3. Path to cash-flow breakeven
Guardant is targeting company-wide cash-flow breakeven by the end of 2027, with the core business excluding screening expected to turn cash-positive sooner. Screening drove roughly $220 million of 2025 cash burn and a similar level is expected in 2026. Lowering the cost per Shield test toward ~$200 and scaling test volume are the levers management points to for closing the gap.
4. Biopharma, data, and AI optionality
The Biopharma and Data segment (~$53 million in Q1 2026, up 17%) sells companion-diagnostic work, real-world data, and partnerships to drugmakers, adding a revenue stream tied to industry research budgets. Guardant also markets AI analytics layered on its large dataset of tested patients, which could support new products in monitoring and multi-cancer detection over time.
What are the risks to Guardant Health, Inc. (GH)?
Guardant is unprofitable and cash-consumptive, so it depends on the Shield launch converting into durable, reimbursed volume rather than one-off wins. Reimbursement is the central swing factor: coverage decisions, guideline inclusion, and per-test pricing (the $1,495 Medicare rate, private payer terms) can move sharply and are outside the company's control. Competition is intense from Exact Sciences (Cologuard in colorectal screening), Natera (minimal residual disease), and Roche's Foundation Medicine (genomic profiling), which pressures pricing and share. Shield's clinical sensitivity, roughly 84% overall but lower for early-stage and precancerous lesions, invites scrutiny versus colonoscopy. The stock also trades at a high price-to-sales multiple, so any slip in growth or the breakeven timeline can trigger large swings.
How is Guardant Health, Inc. (GH) valued? (approximate, July 2026)
A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see Guardant Health, Inc.'s investor relations page or your broker.
- Revenue (Q1 2026 quarterly): ~$302 million, up 48% year over year
- 2026 revenue guidance (full year): ~$1.30 to $1.32 billion (~32 to 34% growth)
- Adjusted EBITDA (Q1 2026): ~-$59 million loss (still unprofitable)
- Cash and equivalents: ~$1.2 billion at quarter end
- Price-to-sales ratio: ~19x
- Market cap: ~$21 billion (stock ~$164 per share)
Figures are approximate and tied to the asOf date; verify live numbers before acting. GH trades on a high price-to-sales multiple typical of a fast-growing, pre-profit diagnostics company, so the valuation is driven by expected future growth rather than current earnings. The share price is volatile and moved sharply in mid-2026 on reimbursement news (including a July 2026 UnitedHealth coverage decision for Shield), which is why the timeline to 2027 cash-flow breakeven and the pace of Shield adoption matter more than any single quarter.
Who competes with Guardant Health, Inc. (GH)?
Colorectal cancer screening
Exact Sciences is the main rival here with Cologuard, a stool-based DNA test that dominates non-invasive colorectal screening, and it is also developing its own blood-based test. Traditional colonoscopy and stool tests remain the incumbent standards Shield must win share from, and clinicians weigh Shield's convenience against colonoscopy's higher sensitivity.
Minimal residual disease and cancer monitoring
Natera (Signatera) is the leading competitor in detecting residual or recurring cancer after treatment, the market Guardant's Reveal test targets. Competition here has been contentious: a jury awarded Guardant ~$292 million in a false-advertising case against Natera, underscoring how closely the two contest oncologist mindshare.
Comprehensive genomic profiling
Roche's Foundation Medicine competes with Guardant360 in profiling tumors to match patients with targeted therapies, spanning both tissue and blood-based approaches. Other diagnostics and sequencing players circle the broader liquid-biopsy and precision-oncology market, which keeps pricing and clinical-evidence bars high.
How to invest in Guardant Health, Inc. (GH)
There are three common ways to get GH exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) directly at any major broker. Hold an ETF that includes it, which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic basket, so GH sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.
Walnut takes the basket route. Describe a thesis where GH fits (for example “AI infrastructure” or “dividend-growth large-caps”) and the AI proposes 5 to 6 constituents with target weights. You review the plan and fund it through your own broker when you're ready.
The bottom line on Guardant Health, Inc. (GH)
Guardant Health is a fast-growing precision-oncology company whose blood tests reached ~$302 million in Q1 2026 revenue (up 48% year over year), but it is still unprofitable and burning cash as it funds the launch of its Shield colorectal screening test toward a targeted 2027 cash-flow breakeven.
More on Guardant Health, Inc. (GH)
Whether GH is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, what would have to go right, and the risks in is GH a buy?, and where the stock could go from here in the GH stock forecast.
For income investors, whether GH pays a dividend and how the payout looks is covered in does GH pay a dividend?
Build a basket around GH with Walnut
Use Guardant Health, Inc. as one constituent in a thematic basket Walnut's AI helps you assemble. Describe a thesis you believe in, the AI proposes the holdings and weights, and you approve before any broker order.
FAQ
Is GH a good stock to buy right now?
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That depends on your goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance, and this is not investment advice. The bull case is rapid revenue growth, an FDA-approved Shield screening test entering a large market, and a targeted 2027 cash-flow breakeven. The bear case is ongoing losses and cash burn, reimbursement uncertainty, strong competition, and a high price-to-sales valuation. Weigh both against your own portfolio and overlap.
What does Guardant Health do?
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Guardant Health is a precision-oncology company that reads cancer signals from blood and tissue. It sells oncology tests like Guardant360 (to match patients to targeted therapies) and Reveal (to detect residual cancer after treatment), provides testing and data services to drugmakers, and markets Shield, an FDA-approved blood test for colorectal cancer screening. It is built around the idea that a simple blood draw can guide cancer care.
What is the Shield test and why does it matter?
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Shield is a blood test for colorectal cancer screening and the first to win full FDA approval as a primary screening option for average-risk adults 45 and older. It matters because it could reach the roughly one-third of eligible people who skip colonoscopy or stool tests. Screening revenue grew to ~$41.6 million in Q1 2026 from ~$5.7 million a year earlier, and it is the company's biggest growth driver and its largest source of cash burn.
Is Guardant Health profitable?
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Not yet. Guardant reported an adjusted EBITDA loss of ~$59 million in Q1 2026 and continues to burn cash, largely to fund the Shield screening launch. It held roughly $1.2 billion in cash at quarter end and targets company-wide cash-flow breakeven by the end of 2027, with the core business excluding screening expected to turn cash-positive sooner. Until then, results are judged on growth and the path to breakeven rather than earnings.
Does GH pay a dividend?
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No. Guardant Health does not pay a dividend. As a growth-stage, pre-profit company, it reinvests capital into commercializing Shield, expanding its oncology tests, and research rather than returning cash to shareholders. Any return from GH would come from share-price appreciation, not income, which matters if you are building a portfolio for current yield.
Who are Guardant Health's main competitors?
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In colorectal screening, Exact Sciences (Cologuard) is the main rival, alongside colonoscopy and stool tests as incumbent standards. In minimal residual disease and cancer monitoring, Natera (Signatera) leads. In comprehensive genomic profiling, Roche's Foundation Medicine competes with Guardant360. Guardant and Natera have also clashed in court, where a jury awarded Guardant about $292 million in a false-advertising case.
Why is GH stock so volatile?
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Guardant is a high-growth, pre-profit company whose value hinges on future adoption of Shield and its oncology tests, so news moves the stock sharply. Reimbursement decisions are especially powerful: coverage announcements (such as a July 2026 UnitedHealth decision for Shield) and Medicare pricing can swing shares meaningfully. A high price-to-sales multiple also amplifies reactions to any change in the growth or breakeven outlook.
How can I get exposure to GH through an ETF?
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GH appears in various healthcare, biotech, and genomics or precision-medicine ETFs, where it sits among the holdings rather than as a top position in broad funds. ETF exposure spreads single-stock risk across many names but dilutes how much any Guardant move affects you. Always check a fund's holdings and weighting before assuming meaningful exposure to the stock.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Financial figures on this page are approximations; always verify current numbers with Guardant Health, Inc.'s investor relations page or your broker before making investment decisions.