Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc. (NYSE:GRDN) Shares Purchased by Royce & Associates LP

Key Points

• Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in Guardian Pharmacy Services by 27.6%, owning approximately $5.81 million worth of shares after acquiring an additional 59,068 shares in the latest quarter.
• Guardian Pharmacy Services missed earnings estimates with reported earnings per share of $0.21, slightly below the consensus estimate of $0.22, but exceeded revenue expectations at $329.31 million.
• Several analysts have set a target price of $28 for Guardian Pharmacy Services, indicating positive sentiment, with ratings of "buy" and "outperform" from multiple firms.

Royce & Associates LP boosted its stake in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc. (NYSE:GRDN - Free Report) by 27.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 273,068 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 59,068 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP owned about 0.43% of Guardian Pharmacy Services worth $5,805,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Guardian Pharmacy Services by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,010 shares of the company's stock worth $243,000 after acquiring an additional 564 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 17,679 shares of the company's stock valued at $358,000 after buying an additional 807 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $170,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 190,797 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,865,000 after buying an additional 860 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new stake in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000.

Insider Activity at Guardian Pharmacy Services

In other news, Director John Ackerman sold 1,084,276 shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.16, for a total value of $21,859,004.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 200,099 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,033,995.84. The trade was a 84.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas J. Salentine, Jr. sold 3,508,905 shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.16, for a total value of $70,739,524.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 2,591,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $52,240,023.36. This represents a 57.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 11,344,912 shares of company stock valued at $228,713,426 in the last ninety days. 63.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Raymond James Financial set a $28.00 price target on Guardian Pharmacy Services and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen raised Guardian Pharmacy Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Truist Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $28.00 price target (up from $25.00) on shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services in a report on Monday, May 19th.

Guardian Pharmacy Services Stock Performance

GRDN stock traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $20.29. 8,989 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 157,401. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $20.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.48. Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.16 and a fifty-two week high of $26.91.

Guardian Pharmacy Services (NYSE:GRDN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $329.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $321.21 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc. will post 0.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Guardian Pharmacy Services Profile

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.