Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG) Short Interest Up 9.8% in December

Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,030,000 shares, a growth of 9.8% from the December 15th total of 2,760,000 shares. Approximately 4.2% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 400,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.6 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on HCSG shares. Macquarie started coverage on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a report on Monday, December 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $13.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Healthcare Services Group from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $17.00 price objective on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Healthcare Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $13.80.

Healthcare Services Group Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ HCSG traded down $0.22 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $11.70. 291,831 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 393,663. Healthcare Services Group has a 52 week low of $8.98 and a 52 week high of $13.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $857.49 million, a PE ratio of 16.96 and a beta of 0.56. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $11.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.24.

Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.03. Healthcare Services Group had a net margin of 2.95% and a return on equity of 12.59%. The company had revenue of $428.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $429.95 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.17 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Healthcare Services Group will post 0.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Healthcare Services Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. increased its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 32.4% during the fourth quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 10,833 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $126,000 after buying an additional 2,653 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 34.1% during the fourth quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 25,643 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $298,000 after buying an additional 6,524 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 100.8% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,137 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 1,073 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 168,841 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,961,000 after buying an additional 1,897 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 11.0% during the third 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.97% of the company’s stock.

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.