Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc (GRDN) Stock Price & How to Invest
Last updated July 2026
Short answer
GRDN is Guardian Pharmacy Services, an Atlanta-based long-term care pharmacy that fills, packages and delivers medications for roughly 210,000 residents of assisted living, behavioral health and skilled nursing facilities across 38 states. It trades on the NYSE like any other US stock, and the live question is whether high single-digit resident growth plus a steady acquisition cadence supports roughly 43 times trailing earnings after the shares more than doubled off their 52-week low.
GRDN stock price
As of 2026-08-07, Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc (GRDN) last closed at $43.83, up 119.5% over the past year. Over the past 52 weeks it has traded between $19.88 and $43.83.
Prices are daily closing prices from Yahoo Finance and may be delayed. For the live quote, check your broker or Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc's investor relations page. Walnut is informational, not investment advice.
What does Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc (GRDN) do?
Guardian Pharmacy Services runs closed-door pharmacies, not storefronts. Its pharmacies do not serve walk-in customers: they serve facilities, handling routine cycle fills, compliance packaging sorted by resident and dose time, urgent and after-hours deliveries, integration with facility electronic medication administration records, and the reimbursement work of billing Medicare Part D, Medicaid and commercial payors. The deliberate difference versus the incumbents is the customer type. More than two thirds of revenue comes from assisted living facilities and behavioral health facilities rather than the skilled nursing homes where Omnicare and PharMerica hold most of the share. Guardian also operates unusually for a roll-up: acquired and greenfield pharmacies are run by a local president who typically keeps a minority equity stake in that pharmacy, while corporate supplies purchasing scale, technology, billing and back office. As of March 31, 2026 that network was ~61 licensed pharmacies, ~54 of them full service, across 38 states. The company was founded in 2003 and listed on the NYSE in September 2024.
The investment picture in August 2026 turns on a gap between the headline revenue line and what is actually happening underneath it. Fiscal 2025 closed at ~$1.45 billion of revenue and ~$115.1 million of adjusted EBITDA, the latter up ~27% year over year. Second quarter 2026, reported on August 6, showed revenue of only ~$351.8 million, up ~2%, while residents served grew ~8% and gross profit grew ~18%. The wedge is the Inflation Reduction Act redesign of Medicare Part D, which cut prices roughly 60% across the slice of Guardian's branded drug book it touches. Lower drug prices flow straight out of reported revenue but barely touch the dispensing fee and service economics, so gross margin has widened (~20.2% in fiscal 2025 to ~21.6% on a trailing basis) even as the top line went nearly flat. Management raised full-year guidance to ~$1.43 billion to ~$1.45 billion of revenue and ~$129 million to ~$131 million of adjusted EBITDA, excluding future acquisitions, and says underlying growth absent the IRA reset would be high single digits. The balance sheet carries ~$89.8 million of cash against ~$35.2 million of debt, trailing free cash flow is ~$79.8 million, and return on equity is ~30%. At ~$44.65 per share the market capitalization is ~$2.83 billion, or ~43 times trailing and ~33 times forward earnings, with only ~32 million of the ~63.3 million shares in the public float.
What's driving Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc (GRDN)?
1. Resident growth is running well ahead of reported revenue
Residents served passed ~210,000 in the second quarter of 2026, up roughly 8% year over year, and script volumes grew at a similar high single-digit pace. Reported revenue grew ~2% only because IRA pricing stripped dollars out of the branded drug pass-through. If the IRA step-down annualizes out of the comparisons during 2027, the reported top line should converge back toward the volume trend rather than the other way around.
2. A repeatable acquisition and greenfield flywheel
Long-term care pharmacy outside the two national incumbents is highly fragmented, which gives Guardian a deep pool of independent targets. Recent additions include North Ridge Pharmacy in Missoula, Montana, Managed Healthcare Pharmacy in Oregon and Wellness Concepts in Virginia, alongside a greenfield opening in Lexington, Kentucky in August 2026. Because the local president typically retains a minority stake, sellers stay operationally invested after closing, which is the mechanism management credits for retention. Guidance explicitly excludes future deals, so completed acquisitions arrive as additions to the plan rather than as part of it.
3. Margin expansion from payor renegotiation and mix
Adjusted EBITDA rose ~19% to ~$29.7 million in the second quarter on a revenue base that barely moved, and gross profit rose ~18%. That combination reflects renegotiated payor contracts, a heavier generic mix, and the fact that Guardian's economics are closer to a per-script service fee than to a drug markup. The full-year adjusted EBITDA guide has been lifted three times since January 2026, from the original outlook to ~$120 million to ~$124 million in March, ~$123 million to ~$127 million in May, and ~$129 million to ~$131 million in August.
4. Demographics in the specific niche Guardian chose
Assisted living and behavioral health occupancy is the demand driver, not hospital volumes or drug launches. The 80-plus US population is expanding through the 2030s, and assisted living residents typically take multiple chronic medications that require exactly the sorting, packaging and adherence support Guardian sells. Behavioral health facilities add a second growth lane with complex psychiatric regimens and heavy documentation requirements that a retail pharmacy is poorly set up to serve.
What are the risks to Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc (GRDN)?
Reimbursement is the structural risk and it is not hypothetical: the IRA Part D redesign already cut prices roughly 60% on the affected portion of Guardian's branded book, and further legislative or CMS changes, plus ongoing PBM rate pressure, could compress economics again with little notice. Growth depends on continued acquisitions, which carries integration risk, goodwill accumulation and the possibility that multiples paid for independent pharmacies rise as the strategy becomes better known. Demand is tied to assisted living and behavioral health occupancy and to facility operators' own financial health, so a downturn in senior housing census would show up directly in resident counts. Operationally, the business runs on licensed pharmacists and technicians in tight labor markets and is regulated by the DEA, state boards of pharmacy and federal anti-kickback and fraud statutes, any of which can produce fines or license actions. Finally, the equity itself carries structural features worth understanding: a dual-class structure concentrates voting control, the public float is roughly half of shares outstanding with a shelf registration on file that permits additional Class A supply, valuation near ~43 times trailing earnings leaves little cushion for a guidance miss, and the second quarter's net income included an ~$8.5 million payor-dispute settlement that will not repeat.
What is the Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc (GRDN) forecast?
6 analysts publish price targets on GRDN, averaging $47.00 against a $44.41 price as of August 2026, or +5.8%. The published targets run from $43.00 to $50.00, a narrow spread, and the ratings split 6 buy, 0 hold, 0 sell. Over the last six months there have been 7 raises and 0 cuts among the published actions. A price target is what an analyst published on a date, not a prediction, and sell-side ratings skew positive across the whole market.
Read the full GRDN forecast and price target for the target table, the recent rating actions by firm, and how the consensus has shifted.
Is GRDN a buy or a sell?
We give no verdict on Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc. Both cases are real, which is why the question is contested at all, so here is the strongest version of each.
The case for buying. Resident growth is running well ahead of reported revenue. Residents served passed ~210,000 in the second quarter of 2026, up roughly 8% year over year, and script volumes grew at a similar high single-digit pace. The most optimistic published target, $50.00, assumes this works close to its best case.
The case against. Reimbursement is the structural risk and it is not hypothetical: the IRA Part D redesign already cut prices roughly 60% on the affected portion of Guardian's branded book, and further legislative or CMS changes, plus ongoing PBM rate pressure, could compress economics again with little notice. The most pessimistic target, $43.00, is roughly what GRDN is worth if this bites instead.
Read the full bull and bear case on GRDN, including what would have to change to break either one. Walnut is not an investment adviser.
How is Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc (GRDN) valued? (approximate, August 2026)
A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc's investor relations page or your broker.
- Revenue (TTM): ~$1.46 billion, up ~10.3% year over year
- Q2 2026 revenue: ~$351.8 million, up ~2% (beat the ~$340 million consensus)
- Q2 2026 adjusted EBITDA: ~$29.7 million, up ~19% from ~$25.0 million
- Net income / EPS (TTM): ~$65.9 million, ~$1.03 diluted EPS (Q2 adjusted EPS ~$0.29 vs ~$0.26 consensus)
- FY2026 guidance (raised): Revenue ~$1.43B to ~$1.45B, adjusted EBITDA ~$129M to ~$131M, excluding future acquisitions
- Valuation and balance sheet: ~$44.65 per share, ~$2.83B market cap, ~43x trailing and ~33x forward earnings, ~27x EV/EBITDA, ~$89.8M cash vs ~$35.2M debt
The reported growth rate understates the business right now: residents and scripts both grew high single digits while revenue grew ~2%, because IRA pricing removed drug dollars that carried almost no margin. That is why gross margin widened from ~20.2% in fiscal 2025 to ~21.6% on a trailing basis, and why adjusted EBITDA guidance has been raised three times in 2026 while revenue guidance moved only once. The multiple embeds continued execution: at ~43 times trailing earnings with ~$79.8 million of trailing free cash flow, the shares are priced closer to a compounding services roll-up than to a drug distributor, and the stock has already run from a 52-week low near ~$19.30 to roughly ~$44.65.
Who competes with Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc (GRDN)?
National long-term care pharmacy incumbents
Omnicare, owned by CVS Health since 2015, and PharMerica, part of BrightSpring Health Services (NASDAQ: BTSG), are the two national players and together serve the large majority of US skilled nursing facilities. Both bring purchasing scale and payor leverage that Guardian cannot match on drug cost alone. Guardian's response has been to compete somewhere else: it concentrates on assisted living and behavioral health facilities, where account sizes are smaller, service intensity is higher, and a national centralized model fits less naturally.
Regional and independent LTC pharmacies
Below the two nationals sits a long tail of local and regional closed-door pharmacies, often owner-operated and single-state. These are simultaneously Guardian's day-to-day competitors for facility contracts and its acquisition pipeline, which is what makes the roll-up strategy viable. They typically compete on local service and relationships rather than price, the same axis Guardian competes on, so the practical contest is usually over which operator the facility administrator trusts.
Retail, mail-order and adherence-packaging alternatives
Retail chains such as CVS and Walgreens, mail-order and specialty channels, and adherence-packaging services including Amazon Pharmacy and ExactCare can serve lower-acuity residents who manage their own medications. This channel matters most at the assisted living end of Guardian's market, where residents are more independent, and less in behavioral health or skilled nursing where facility-level administration, controlled-substance handling and documentation requirements make a closed-door pharmacy the practical option.
What stocks are similar to Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc (GRDN)?
Other names that sit close to GRDN: same theme, named as a direct competitor, or held beside it in the same funds. Each entry says which. Worth a look if you are thinking about diversification within a thesis rather than concentration on one ticker.
How to invest in Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc (GRDN)
There are three common ways to get GRDN exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) directly at any major broker. Hold an ETF that includes it, which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic portfolio, so GRDN sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.
Walnut takes the portfolio route. Describe a thesis where GRDN fits (for example “AI infrastructure” or “dividend-growth large-caps”) and the AI proposes 5 to 6 constituents with target weights. You review the plan and fund it through your own broker when you're ready.
New to this? Start with how to invest in stocks, see how to analyze a stock with AI, or compare the best AI stock analyzers.
The bottom line on Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc (GRDN)
Guardian is a profitable, net-cash roll-up of a dull but unusually sticky corner of pharmacy, currently priced as a compounder rather than as a drug distributor.
More on Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc (GRDN)
Whether GRDN is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, what would have to go right, and the risks in is GRDN a buy or a sell?, and where the stock could go from here in the GRDN stock forecast.
For income investors, whether GRDN pays a dividend and how the payout looks is covered in does GRDN pay a dividend? And to weigh GRDN against a peer, read the full side-by-side comparisons: GRDN vs CVS and GRDN vs LTC.
Wondering how GRDN fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.
Investing in Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc with AI
Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how GRDN fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.
FAQ
What does Guardian Pharmacy Services actually do?
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It operates closed-door pharmacies that serve facilities rather than walk-in customers. Guardian handles scheduled cycle fills, packages medications by resident and by dose time so facility staff can administer them accurately, delivers on urgent and after-hours schedules, integrates with facility electronic medication administration records, and manages billing across Medicare Part D, Medicaid and commercial payors. As of the second quarter of 2026 it served over 210,000 residents through roughly 61 licensed pharmacies across 38 states.
Why did revenue grow only ~2% in Q2 2026 when residents grew ~8%?
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The Inflation Reduction Act's redesign of Medicare Part D cut prices by roughly 60% across the portion of Guardian's branded drug book it affects. Those drug dollars flowed through revenue at very thin margin, so removing them shrinks the reported top line without doing comparable damage to profit. That is why gross profit still rose ~18% and adjusted EBITDA rose ~19% on nearly flat revenue. Management has said underlying growth absent the IRA reset would be high single digits.
Does GRDN pay a dividend?
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No. Guardian retains its cash flow and directs it toward acquisitions of independent long-term care pharmacies and greenfield openings, which is the core of the growth strategy. Trailing free cash flow is roughly ~$79.8 million against ~$89.8 million of cash and ~$35.2 million of debt, so the capacity exists, but the stated capital allocation priority is expansion of the pharmacy network rather than shareholder distributions.
Who are Guardian's main competitors?
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The two national incumbents are Omnicare, owned by CVS Health, and PharMerica, part of BrightSpring Health Services. Both are far larger and dominate skilled nursing facilities. Guardian competes mainly in assisted living and behavioral health facilities, where it faces a fragmented field of regional and independent closed-door pharmacies. Retail chains, mail-order and adherence-packaging services such as Amazon Pharmacy compete at the lower-acuity edge of the market.
How does Guardian's acquisition model work?
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Guardian typically acquires a majority stake in a local pharmacy while the local president retains a minority equity interest and continues running the business, historically around an 80/20 split. Corporate supplies purchasing scale, technology, billing and back office; the local operator keeps the facility relationships. Recent deals include North Ridge Pharmacy in Montana, Managed Healthcare Pharmacy in Oregon and Wellness Concepts in Virginia. Full-year guidance excludes future acquisitions, so completed deals are additive to the published outlook.
Is GRDN expensive at current levels?
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By conventional measures it is priced for continued growth: roughly ~43 times trailing earnings, ~33 times forward earnings and ~27 times EV/EBITDA, after moving from a 52-week low near ~$19.30 to roughly ~$44.65. The offsetting facts are ~30% return on equity, a net cash balance sheet, and adjusted EBITDA guidance raised three times in 2026. Whether that combination justifies the multiple depends on how durable the resident growth and acquisition cadence prove to be.
What are the biggest risks to the story?
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Reimbursement change is first: the IRA already reset branded pricing sharply, and further CMS or PBM action could compress economics again. Growth depends on continuing acquisitions, which brings integration risk and rising goodwill. Demand tracks assisted living and behavioral health occupancy and the financial health of facility operators. The company also faces DEA, state pharmacy board and federal fraud and abuse regulation, pharmacist labor scarcity, a dual-class voting structure, a shelf registration permitting additional share supply, and a valuation that leaves little room for a guidance miss.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Financial figures on this page are approximations; always verify current numbers with Guardian Pharmacy Services, Inc's investor relations page or your broker before making investment decisions.