Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG) Short Interest Up 5.7% in November

Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 2,410,000 shares, an increase of 5.7% from the November 15th total of 2,280,000 shares. Currently, 3.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 398,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.0 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Healthcare Services Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Foundry Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 86.5% during the third quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 807,031 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $9,015,000 after buying an additional 374,301 shares during the last quarter. Azarias Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 50.7% in the 2nd quarter. Azarias Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,226,773 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $12,979,000 after purchasing an additional 412,704 shares in the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP raised its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 12.2% in the 2nd quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 1,318,045 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $13,983,000 after purchasing an additional 142,997 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP grew its stake in Healthcare Services Group by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 4,449,496 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $49,701,000 after purchasing an additional 290,621 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 9.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,057,202 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $21,766,000 after buying an additional 181,231 shares during the period. 97.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Healthcare Services Group Trading Down 1.4 %

NASDAQ:HCSG traded down $0.17 on Monday, reaching $12.37. 508,863 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 486,287. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $11.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.05. The company has a market capitalization of $906.61 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.93 and a beta of 0.55. Healthcare Services Group has a 12 month low of $8.98 and a 12 month high of $13.00.

Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.03. Healthcare Services Group had a net margin of 2.95% and a return on equity of 12.59%. The company had revenue of $428.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $429.95 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.17 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Healthcare Services Group will post 0.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on HCSG shares. Macquarie started coverage on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a research note on Monday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $13.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Healthcare Services Group from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $17.00 price target on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Healthcare Services Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $13.80.

Healthcare Services Group Company Profile

Healthcare Services Group, Inc provides management, administrative, and operating services to the housekeeping, laundry, linen, facility maintenance, and dietary service departments of nursing homes, retirement complexes, rehabilitation centers, and hospitals in the United States. It operates through two segments, Housekeeping and Dietary.