Healthcare Services Group's (HCSG) "Buy" Rating Reaffirmed at Benchmark

Benchmark reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG - Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $17.00 price objective on the business services provider's stock.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on HCSG. Macquarie began coverage on Healthcare Services Group in a research note on Monday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $13.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Healthcare Services Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, December 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Healthcare Services Group from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $13.80.

Healthcare Services Group Stock Down 1.4 %

NASDAQ:HCSG traded down $0.16 on Thursday, reaching $11.44. The stock had a trading volume of 443,029 shares, compared to its average volume of 486,584. The company has a market capitalization of $838.45 million, a P/E ratio of 16.58 and a beta of 0.55. Healthcare Services Group has a 1-year low of $8.98 and a 1-year high of $13.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $11.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.06.

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

Institutional Trading of Healthcare Services Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 39.9% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 560,588 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $5,858,000 after purchasing an additional 159,878 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in Healthcare Services Group by 1.7% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 78,218 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $874,000 after acquiring an additional 1,276 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Healthcare Services Group by 169.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 145,926 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,631,000 after acquiring an additional 91,733 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Healthcare Services Group by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,760,971 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $19,674,000 after acquiring an additional 50,375 shares during the period. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 20,877 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 2,853 shares during the last quarter. 97.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Healthcare Services Group

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.