Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc. (NYSE:GRDN) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Guardian Pharmacy Services has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, with seven buy ratings and two hold ratings. The average 12-month price target is about $41.33.
• The company recently beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $0.29 EPS versus the $0.24 estimate, while revenue of $336.6 million also came in above forecasts.
• Recent insider activity has been notable, with executives including David K. Morris and Fred Burke selling large blocks of shares. Insiders sold 9.7 million shares in the last quarter, though institutional investors have also been adding to positions.

Shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc. (NYSE:GRDN - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the nine ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $41.3333.

GRDN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services in a research note on Monday, March 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $44.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services in a research note on Monday, April 27th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $42.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider David K. Morris sold 187,855 shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.68, for a total value of $5,575,536.40. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 254,472 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,552,728.96. This trade represents a 42.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Fred Burke sold 671,432 shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.68, for a total value of $19,928,101.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 840,413 shares in the company, valued at $24,943,457.84. This trade represents a 44.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,726,405 shares of company stock valued at $288,679,700. 32.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services by 26.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,647 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 17,983 shares of the company's stock worth $541,000 after buying an additional 593 shares during the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its position in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services by 20.4% in the 4th quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 6,070 shares of the company's stock worth $183,000 after buying an additional 1,028 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services by 70.5% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,248 shares of the company's stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 1,343 shares during the last quarter.

Guardian Pharmacy Services Stock Down 2.0%

GRDN stock opened at $35.89 on Tuesday. Guardian Pharmacy Services has a 52 week low of $19.17 and a 52 week high of $41.36. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.09.

Guardian Pharmacy Services (NYSE:GRDN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.05. Guardian Pharmacy Services had a net margin of 3.64% and a return on equity of 30.72%. The business had revenue of $336.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $329.89 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.22 earnings per share. Guardian Pharmacy Services's quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Guardian Pharmacy Services will post 1.17 EPS for the current year.

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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