AQR Capital Management LLC Reduces Holdings in Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG)

AQR Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG - Free Report) by 11.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 458,281 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 62,097 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.63% of Healthcare Services Group worth $5,323,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of HCSG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in 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 worth $8,642,000 after purchasing an additional 76,456 shares during the period. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Healthcare Services Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $822,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Healthcare Services Group by 39.9% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 560,588 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $5,858,000 after buying an additional 159,878 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Healthcare Services Group by 169.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 145,926 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,631,000 after buying an additional 91,733 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legato Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Healthcare Services Group by 215.5% during the 4th quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 139,263 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,618,000 after buying an additional 95,118 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on HCSG shares. UBS Group upgraded Healthcare Services Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $12.00 to $15.00 in a report on Thursday, April 24th. StockNews.com upgraded Healthcare Services Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Healthcare Services Group from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Macquarie upped their price objective on Healthcare Services Group from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $14.80.

Healthcare Services Group Trading Down 1.1%

HCSG traded down $0.16 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $14.37. 203,545 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 501,616. The firm's fifty day moving average is $11.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.45. Healthcare Services Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.13 and a 1-year high of $14.90. The company has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a PE ratio of 26.60 and a beta of 0.55.

Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $447.66 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $443.82 million. Healthcare Services Group had a return on equity of 11.76% and a net margin of 2.30%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.22 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate 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.