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

Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,800,000 shares, a drop of 5.7% from the January 15th total of 2,970,000 shares. Currently, 3.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 407,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.9 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on HCSG. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $17.00 price target on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Macquarie initiated coverage on Healthcare Services Group in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $13.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com cut Healthcare Services Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Healthcare Services Group from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $14.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Healthcare Services Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 100.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,137 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in Healthcare Services Group by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 78,218 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $874,000 after buying an additional 1,276 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in Healthcare Services Group by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 41,880 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $486,000 after buying an additional 1,461 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Healthcare Services Group by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 168,841 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,961,000 after buying an additional 1,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Healthcare Services Group by 803.4% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,358 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 2,097 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.97% of the company's stock.

Healthcare Services Group Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of HCSG stock traded down $0.22 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $10.56. 584,544 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 455,113. Healthcare Services Group has a 52-week low of $9.70 and a 52-week high of $13.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $11.35 and a 200 day moving average of $11.22. The company has a market cap of $776.25 million, a PE ratio of 19.56 and a beta of 0.56.

Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20 by ($0.04). Healthcare Services Group had a return on equity of 11.76% and a net margin of 2.30%. Equities analysts predict that Healthcare Services Group will post 0.74 EPS for the current year.

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.