Zacks Research Downgrades Guardian Pharmacy Services (NYSE:GRDN) to Hold

Guardian Pharmacy Services (NYSE:GRDN) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on GRDN. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services in a report on Monday, April 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.33.

Guardian Pharmacy Services Price Performance

GRDN opened at $34.99 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.09. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $36.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $32.46. Guardian Pharmacy Services has a 1 year low of $19.17 and a 1 year high of $41.36.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Guardian Pharmacy Services

In other Guardian Pharmacy Services news, insider David K. Morris sold 187,855 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.68, for a total transaction of $5,575,536.40. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 254,472 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,552,728.96. This represents a 42.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Fred Burke sold 671,432 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider directly owned 840,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,943,457.84. This trade represents a 44.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,726,405 shares of company stock valued at $288,679,700. Insiders own 32.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Guardian Pharmacy Services

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GRDN. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new stake in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. increased its position in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services by 26.5% during the third quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services during the second quarter valued at about $43,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services during the second quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Guardian Pharmacy Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $75,000.

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.