Guardian Pharmacy Services (NYSE:GRDN) Upgraded to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Guardian Pharmacy Services was upgraded to a "buy" rating by analysts at Wall Street Zen, indicating positive sentiment toward the stock.
• Insider transactions showed significant selling, with insider Fred Burke and Director John Ackerman collectively selling over 340,000 shares at an average price of $20.16.
• The company reported a revenue of $329.31 million for the last quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate, despite earnings per share falling slightly short of expectations.

Guardian Pharmacy Services (NYSE:GRDN - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

GRDN has been the subject of several other reports. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and set a $28.00 price target (up from $25.00) on shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Raymond James Financial set a $28.00 price target on shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th.

Guardian Pharmacy Services Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:GRDN opened at $20.56 on Friday. Guardian Pharmacy Services has a 52-week low of $14.16 and a 52-week high of $26.91. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $21.05 and a 200 day moving average of $21.46.

Guardian Pharmacy Services (NYSE:GRDN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $329.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $321.21 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Guardian Pharmacy Services will post 0.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Guardian Pharmacy Services

In other news, insider Fred Burke sold 138,705 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.16, for a total transaction of $2,796,292.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 413,019 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,326,463.04. This represents a 25.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John Ackerman sold 201,303 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.16, for a total transaction of $4,058,268.48. Following the sale, the director owned 149,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,019,847.04. This represents a 57.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 11,344,912 shares of company stock valued at $228,713,426. 63.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Guardian Pharmacy Services

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new stake in Guardian Pharmacy Services in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in Guardian Pharmacy Services in the second quarter worth about $75,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. bought a new position in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $77,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $81,000. Finally, Corebridge Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $87,000.

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.

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