Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG) EVP John Christopher Shea Sells 54,357 Shares

Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG) EVP John Christopher Shea sold 54,357 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.41, for a total value of $1,109,426.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 29,292 shares in the company, valued at approximately $597,849.72. The trade was a 64.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Healthcare Services Group Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ HCSG traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $20.22. 596,158 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 804,724. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $17.64. Healthcare Services Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.13 and a 1-year high of $22.98. The firm has a market cap of $1.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.66 and a beta of 0.74.

Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.21. Healthcare Services Group had a net margin of 3.21% and a return on equity of 16.04%. The company had revenue of $466.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $467.24 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.16 EPS. Healthcare Services Group’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Healthcare Services Group, Inc. will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on HCSG shares. UBS Group set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Healthcare Services Group and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $23.00 target price on Healthcare Services Group in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Healthcare Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $22.00 price objective on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Healthcare Services Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. 8 Knots Management LLC acquired a new position in Healthcare Services Group during the third quarter worth $56,527,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 240.1% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,496,835 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $22,497,000 after buying an additional 1,056,705 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 80.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,981,840 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,354,000 after buying an additional 882,213 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 183.0% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,278,993 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $19,223,000 after buying an additional 827,057 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CSM Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Healthcare Services Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $8,864,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.97% of the company’s stock.

Healthcare Services Group Company Profile

Healthcare Services Group, Inc (NASDAQ: HCSG) is a leading provider of support services to healthcare facilities across the United States. The company specializes in environmental services, including housekeeping and sanitation, as well as linen and laundry management. In addition, Healthcare Services Group offers dietary and nutrition services, catering to hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities and other long-term care providers.

Founded as a family-owned business in the late 1970s, the company completed its initial public offering in 1997.