Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

HCSG has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a report on Thursday, November 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $20.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a report on Monday, November 24th. Macquarie reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Healthcare Services Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $19.40.

Healthcare Services Group Trading Up 0.6%

NASDAQ:HCSG opened at $19.43 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $18.62 and its 200 day moving average is $16.58. Healthcare Services Group has a 12 month low of $9.13 and a 12 month high of $20.26. The company has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.98 and a beta of 0.71.

Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $464.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $460.36 million. Healthcare Services Group had a return on equity of 12.23% and a net margin of 2.20%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.19 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Healthcare Services Group will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Healthcare Services Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Healthcare Services Group by 298.1% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 43,739 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $836,000 after acquiring an additional 32,752 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 44.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 24,557 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $463,000 after purchasing an additional 7,507 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 84,353 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,613,000 after purchasing an additional 2,397 shares during the last quarter. Miller Global Investments LLC purchased a new position in Healthcare Services Group in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Healthcare Services Group by 29.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,688 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 845 shares in the last quarter. 97.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Healthcare Services Group Company Profile

Healthcare Services Group, Inc (NASDAQ: HCSG) is a leading provider of support services to healthcare facilities across the United States. The company specializes in environmental services, including housekeeping and sanitation, as well as linen and laundry management. In addition, Healthcare Services Group offers dietary and nutrition services, catering to hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities and other long-term care providers.

Founded as a family-owned business in the late 1970s, the company completed its initial public offering in 1997.