Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG) EVP Patrick Orr Sells 44,615 Shares of Stock

Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG) EVP Patrick Orr sold 44,615 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.53, for a total value of $915,945.95. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Healthcare Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of HCSG stock opened at $20.64 on Friday. Healthcare Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $9.13 and a fifty-two week high of $22.98. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.69. The company has a market cap of $1.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.17 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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $466.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $467.24 million. Healthcare Services Group had a net margin of 3.21% and a return on equity of 16.04%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.16 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Healthcare Services Group, Inc. will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. William Blair raised Healthcare Services Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Macquarie Infrastructure reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, UBS Group set a $25.00 price objective on Healthcare Services Group and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $22.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Healthcare Services Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCSG. 8 Knots Management LLC bought a new stake in Healthcare Services Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $56,527,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 1,056,705 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 80.2% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,981,840 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,354,000 after buying an additional 882,213 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Healthcare Services Group by 183.0% during the second 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 bought a new stake in Healthcare Services Group during the second quarter worth $8,864,000. Institutional investors own 97.97% of the company’s stock.

More Healthcare Services Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Healthcare Services Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results showed an earnings beat and revenue growth — the company reported $0.44 EPS vs. consensus $0.23 and revenue rose ~6.6% year?over?year, which supports the bullish case. MarketBeat: HCSG profile and earnings summary
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: several funds increased or initiated positions in HCSG in Q4, and institutions own a very large share of the float (~98%), which can stabilize the stock and support longer?term demand. MarketBeat: institutional holdings
• Positive Sentiment: Retail/insider buy: Theodore Wahl purchased roughly $178K of HCSG shares, a small but supportive insider buy. Benzinga: Theodore Wahl buy
• Neutral Sentiment: An EVP (Chief Revenue Officer) exercised options worth ~$282K — option exercises are common and can be neutral (could signal confidence or simply scheduled compensation). Benzinga: options exercise
• Neutral Sentiment: Short?interest reports for mid?February show “0” shares / 0 days to cover and NaN changes — this is almost certainly a data/reporting error and should not be interpreted as meaningful market pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider selloffs: EVP Patrick J. Orr sold ~45,500 shares (~$0.9M) and reduced his holding by ~50%, disclosed on Form 4. Significant insider trimming at current prices can be read negatively by investors. SEC Form 4: Patrick J. Orr sale
• Negative Sentiment: Another senior executive, EVP John Christopher Shea, sold ~54,357 shares (~$1.1M) and trimmed his stake by ~65%, adding to the negative signal from insider sales. SEC Form 4: John Christopher Shea sale

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.