What Makes Guardant Health (GH) a Compelling Bet?

What Makes Guardant Health (GH) a Compelling Bet?

Tue, September 8, 2026 at 4:22 PM GMT+3 3 min read

• GH -0.21%

Artisan Partners, an investment management company, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter for the "Artisan Mid Cap Fund". The letter can be downloaded here. Global equities rebounded sharply in Q2 2026, recovering from March lows as resilient economic data, strong corporate earnings, and continued AI investment improved investor sentiment despite inflation concerns, delayed rate cuts, and geopolitical uncertainty. The portfolio generated strong absolute returns and outperformed the Russell Midcap® Growth Index, benefiting from semiconductor exposure within IT and strong stock selection in health care and consumer discretionary. Its Investor Class: ARTMX returned 17.86%, Advisor Class: APDMX returned 17.88%, and Institutional Class: APHMX returned 17.93% vs. a 14.55% gain for the index. Healthcare was the largest contributor, with biotech holdings driving gains, while consumer holdings also performed well. Software exposure, aerospace and defense holdings, and communication services positions weighed on relative performance. The fund continues to focus on identifying high-quality growth companies with durable secular trends and attractive valuation opportunities. Please check the fund's top five holdings for its best picks in 2026.

In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Artisan Mid Cap Fund highlighted Guardant Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:GH). During the quarter the fund added Guardant Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:GH), a US based precision oncology company that provides blood and tissue tests, along with data sets. On September 4, 2026, Guardant Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:GH) closed at $161.41 per share. One-month return of Guardant Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:GH) was -3.47% and its shares gained 168.28% over the past 52 weeks. Guardant Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:GH) has a market capitalization of $21.66 billion with a 52-week trading range between $53.40 - $176.58.

Artisan Mid Cap Fund stated the following regarding Guardant Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:GH) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:

"Guardant Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:GH) is a leader in liquid biopsy diagnostics, using a simple blood draw to detect and monitor cancer. The company holds a market leading position in testing to help oncologists select targeted cancer therapies and continues to expand its portfolio across oncology and cancer screening. The company delivered another strong quarter, driven by continued strength in testing volumes and accelerating adoption of its Shield colorectal cancer screening test, prompting management to raise full-year revenue guidance. We believe Guardant is well positioned to benefit from increasing adoption of precision oncology and AI-enabled diagnostics, supported by a growing data repository, expanding reimbursement opportunities and several upcoming product catalysts."

Guardant Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:GH) is not on our list of the 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 80 hedge fund portfolios held Guardant Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:GH) at the end of the second quarter which was 58 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Guardant Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:GH) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

In another article, we covered Guardant Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:GH) and shared how the company could offset its $245 million patent judgment through newer tests and technology improvements. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q2 2026 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.

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This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.