Healthcare Services Group, Inc. $HCSG Shares Bought by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG) by 14.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 218,389 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 26,789 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.32% of Healthcare Services Group worth $4,051,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in Healthcare Services Group by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 14,052 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Healthcare Services Group by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 20,151 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 32.0% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,619 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 11,802 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $226,000 after buying an additional 895 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 0.5% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 200,393 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,373,000 after acquiring an additional 970 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.97% of the company’s stock.

Healthcare Services Group Price Performance

Shares of HCSG opened at $23.30 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.55 and a beta of 0.78. Healthcare Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $12.84 and a fifty-two week high of $25.75. The business’s 50-day moving average is $22.87 and its 200-day moving average is $21.09.

Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.10. Healthcare Services Group had a net margin of 6.59% and a return on equity of 18.97%. The business had revenue of $470.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $471.22 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.44) earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Healthcare Services Group, Inc. will post 1.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HCSG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Healthcare Services Group from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Healthcare Services Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Healthcare Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Benchmark lifted their price objective on shares of Healthcare Services Group from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Healthcare Services Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $26.20.

Healthcare Services Group 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.