First Trust Advisors LP Purchases Shares of 93,677 Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc. $GRDN

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors LP purchased 93,677 shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services during the first quarter, valued at approximately $3.53 million and representing about 0.19% of the company.
• Guardian Pharmacy reported quarterly EPS of $0.29, beating estimates by $0.05, while revenue reached $336.6 million, up 2.2% year over year and above analyst expectations.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with seven Buy ratings and two Holds and an average price target of $42.83, compared with the stock’s reported price of $40.48.

First Trust Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc. (NYSE:GRDN - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 93,677 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,528,000. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.19% of Guardian Pharmacy Services at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Valiant Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Guardian Pharmacy Services by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. Valiant Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,232,463 shares of the company's stock worth $37,085,000 after acquiring an additional 167,741 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services by 3.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,143,729 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000,000 after acquiring an additional 36,072 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services by 8.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,056,240 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,705,000 after acquiring an additional 80,033 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services by 9.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,055,102 shares of the company's stock worth $27,675,000 after purchasing an additional 88,296 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,054,636 shares of the company's stock worth $31,995,000 after purchasing an additional 7,759 shares during the period.

Guardian Pharmacy Services Stock Performance

Shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services stock opened at $40.48 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.10. Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $19.30 and a 52-week high of $44.00. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $40.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $36.96.

Guardian Pharmacy Services (NYSE:GRDN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.05. Guardian Pharmacy Services had a return on equity of 30.72% and a net margin of 3.64%.The business had revenue of $336.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $329.89 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.22 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc. will post 1.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Guardian Pharmacy Services from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered Guardian Pharmacy Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Zacks Research cut Guardian Pharmacy Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Bank of America upped their price target on Guardian Pharmacy Services from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on Guardian Pharmacy Services from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $42.83.

About Guardian Pharmacy Services

Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc, a pharmacy service company, provides a suite of technology-enabled services designed to help residents of long-term health care facilities (LTCFs) in the United States. Its individualized clinical, drug dispensing, and administration capabilities are used to serve the needs of residents in lower acuity LTCFs, such as assisted living facilities and behavioral health facilities and group homes. The company's Guardian Compass includes dashboards created using data from its data warehouse to help its local pharmacies plan, track, and optimize their business operations; and GuardianShield Programs for LTCFs.

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