Heartland Advisors Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG)

Heartland Advisors Inc. trimmed its stake in Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG - Free Report) by 34.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 499,716 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 267,134 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned about 0.68% of Healthcare Services Group worth $5,804,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HCSG. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in Healthcare Services Group by 80.8% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 175,444 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,960,000 after purchasing an additional 78,391 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 773,635 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $8,642,000 after buying an additional 76,456 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Healthcare Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $822,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 159,878 shares in the last quarter. 97.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $17.00 price objective on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Macquarie assumed coverage on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $13.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Healthcare Services Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $14.00.

Healthcare Services Group Trading Up 0.7 %

NASDAQ:HCSG traded up $0.07 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $10.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 128,518 shares, compared to its average volume of 462,777. Healthcare Services Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $9.70 and a 52-week high of $12.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $745.17 million, a P/E ratio of 18.78 and a beta of 0.66. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $10.77 and a 200-day moving average of $11.21.

Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.20 by ($0.04). Healthcare Services Group had a return on equity of 11.76% and a net margin of 2.30%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Healthcare Services Group, Inc. will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Healthcare Services Group 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.