Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG) Short Interest Update

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

Healthcare Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HCSG opened at $11.03 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $808.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.99 and a beta of 0.56. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $11.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.26. Healthcare Services Group has a 52-week low of $8.98 and a 52-week high of $13.00.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Institutional Trading of Healthcare Services Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 100.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,137 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,073 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in Healthcare Services Group by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 78,218 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $874,000 after buying an additional 1,276 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Healthcare Services Group by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 28,368 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $300,000 after buying an additional 1,311 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Healthcare Services Group by 1.1% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Healthcare Services Group by 804.0% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 2,428 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.97% of the company’s stock.

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.