Guardian Pharmacy Services (NYSE:GRDN) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc. (NYSE:GRDN) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $38.28 and last traded at $37.92, with a volume of 140894 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $37.25.

Key Headlines Impacting Guardian Pharmacy Services

Here are the key news stories impacting Guardian Pharmacy Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $44 price target (about 17% upside vs. the recent price), bringing institutional attention and a visible broker target that can support further upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks added GRDN to its Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) momentum list and to its new “Strong Buy” additions, highlighting improving earnings-estimate trends that often attract momentum and quant-focused funds. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction: Zacks noted GRDN “soared” on above-average volume and pointed to earnings-estimate revisions as a reason for the move — volume-backed moves plus upgrades to estimates often lead to sustained interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage consensus is bullish: American Banking News summarizes that brokerages give GRDN an overall “Buy” consensus, reinforcing the analyst-driven support for the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Investor write-ups and bullish analysis (e.g., InsiderMonkey summary of a Substack bull case) are circulating, adding retail and independent-research interest. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several “Is this a good buy now?” pieces (MSN, other outlets) review valuation and growth; they provide useful context but are more informational than new catalysts. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services in a report on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $44.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $39.20.

Guardian Pharmacy Services Stock Up 0.9%

The firm has a market cap of $2.38 billion, a PE ratio of 48.79 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $33.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.02.

Guardian Pharmacy Services (NYSE:GRDN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $397.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $390.04 million. Guardian Pharmacy Services had a net margin of 3.40% and a return on equity of 31.64%. Guardian Pharmacy Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc. will post 0.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Fred Burke sold 671,432 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $24,943,457.84. This represents a 44.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider David K. Morris sold 187,855 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider owned 254,472 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,552,728.96. This represents a 42.47% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 9,726,405 shares of company stock worth $288,679,700 in the last three months. 63.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services by 418.7% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,046,877 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,922,000 after buying an additional 845,048 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new position in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services in the fourth quarter worth $19,126,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services by 725.2% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 342,038 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,972,000 after acquiring an additional 300,587 shares during the last quarter. Aristotle Capital Boston LLC grew its stake in Guardian Pharmacy Services by 58.5% during the third quarter. Aristotle Capital Boston LLC now owns 649,463 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,035,000 after acquiring an additional 239,790 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TimesSquare Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Guardian Pharmacy Services by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 1,048,136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,538,000 after acquiring an additional 187,963 shares in the last quarter.

Guardian Pharmacy Services Company 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. 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.