Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $14.80.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HCSG. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Healthcare Services Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Healthcare Services Group from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Healthcare Services Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $12.00 to $15.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Macquarie increased their price objective on shares of Healthcare Services Group from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th.

Healthcare Services Group Stock Down 0.5%

NASDAQ:HCSG traded down $0.08 on Tuesday, reaching $14.69. The stock had a trading volume of 441,312 shares, compared to its average volume of 505,858. The company has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.23 and a beta of 0.57. Healthcare Services Group has a 1-year low of $9.13 and a 1-year high of $15.73. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $14.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.17.

Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.05. Healthcare Services Group had a net margin of 2.38% and a return on equity of 11.68%. The company had revenue of $447.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $443.82 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.22 earnings per share. Healthcare Services Group's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Healthcare Services Group will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Healthcare Services Group

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Palisade Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Healthcare Services Group by 0.9% in the first quarter. Palisade Capital Management LP now owns 2,237,866 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $22,558,000 after buying an additional 20,720 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in Healthcare Services Group by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 176,825 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,055,000 after purchasing an additional 22,834 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Healthcare Services Group by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 829,322 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $9,633,000 after purchasing an additional 68,935 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Healthcare Services Group by 852.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 20,352 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,019,000 after purchasing an additional 18,215 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Healthcare Services Group by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 157,750 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,832,000 after purchasing an additional 5,347 shares during the period. 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.