Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $26.50.

A number of brokerages have commented on HCSG. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $28.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Healthcare Services Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Healthcare Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Zacks Research raised shares of Healthcare Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Healthcare Services Group from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Andrew Kush sold 15,598 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.24, for a total transaction of $362,497.52. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 22,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $528,500.84. This trade represents a 40.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Healthcare Services Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in Healthcare Services Group by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 14,052 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $269,000 after acquiring an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its position in Healthcare Services Group by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 20,151 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $385,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Healthcare Services Group by 32.0% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,619 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 11,802 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 895 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 0.5% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 200,393 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,373,000 after purchasing an additional 970 shares during the period. 97.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Healthcare Services Group Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Healthcare Services Group stock opened at $22.80 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of 13.26 and a beta of 0.81. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $23.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.46. Healthcare Services Group has a 12 month low of $15.13 and a 12 month high of $25.75.

Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $470.81 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $471.22 million. Healthcare Services Group had a return on equity of 18.97% and a net margin of 6.59%.During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.44) EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Healthcare Services Group will post 1.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.