BNP Paribas Financial Markets Lowers Stock Holdings in Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets decreased its holdings in Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG - Free Report) by 47.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,498 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 32,698 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Healthcare Services Group were worth $412,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Legato Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 215.5% during the fourth quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 139,263 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,618,000 after acquiring an additional 95,118 shares in the last quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. increased its position in Healthcare Services Group by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 357,906 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,157,000 after buying an additional 10,325 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 355,419 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,128,000 after acquiring an additional 9,492 shares in the last quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 71.3% in the 4th quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 324,862 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,773,000 after acquiring an additional 135,233 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 720,267 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $8,366,000 after purchasing an additional 104,157 shares during the period. 97.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Healthcare Services Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:HCSG traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $14.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 43,910 shares, compared to its average volume of 501,947. The business's 50-day moving average is $12.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.69. The company has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a PE ratio of 26.16 and a beta of 0.55. Healthcare Services Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $9.13 and a 52-week high of $14.90.

Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.05. Healthcare Services Group had a net margin of 2.30% and a return on equity of 11.76%. The firm had revenue of $447.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $443.82 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.22 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Healthcare Services Group, Inc. will post 0.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on HCSG. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Healthcare Services Group from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Macquarie boosted their price target on shares of Healthcare Services Group from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. UBS Group raised shares of Healthcare Services Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $12.00 to $15.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Healthcare Services Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $14.80.

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.