Guardian Pharmacy Services (NYSE:GRDN) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

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

Guardian Pharmacy Services News Summary

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 research analysts have recently weighed in on GRDN shares. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Stephens increased their price target on Guardian Pharmacy Services from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Guardian Pharmacy Services from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Zacks Research raised Guardian Pharmacy Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Guardian Pharmacy Services in a report on Monday. They set a “buy” rating and a $44.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $39.20.

Guardian Pharmacy Services Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.38 billion, a PE ratio of 48.79 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $33.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $30.02.

Guardian Pharmacy Services (NYSE:GRDN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.37 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 return on equity of 31.64% and a net margin of 3.40%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc. will post 0.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Guardian Pharmacy Services

In other Guardian Pharmacy Services news, insider Fred Burke sold 671,432 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.68, for a total transaction of $19,928,101.76. Following the transaction, the insider owned 840,413 shares in the company, valued at $24,943,457.84. The trade was 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 link. Also, Director William E. Bindley sold 3,570,677 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.68, for a total transaction of $105,977,693.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,469,316 shares in the company, valued at approximately $132,649,298.88. This represents a 44.41% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 9,726,405 shares of company stock valued at $288,679,700 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 63.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Guardian Pharmacy Services

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services by 26.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey boosted its holdings in Guardian Pharmacy Services by 76.8% during the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 2,444 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 1,062 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Guardian Pharmacy Services during the 4th quarter valued at $75,000.

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. 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.