First Eagle Investment Management LLC Sells 38,700 Shares of Healthcare Services Group, Inc. $HCSG

First Eagle Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 560,148 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 38,700 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.80% of Healthcare Services Group worth $9,427,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 1.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,883,225 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,309,000 after acquiring an additional 29,551 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Healthcare Services Group by 38.1% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,766,601 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,732,000 after purchasing an additional 487,608 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 240.1% in the 2nd 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 during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 19.4% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 747,822 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $11,240,000 after purchasing an additional 121,263 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 0.9% in the second quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 723,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $10,877,000 after purchasing an additional 6,297 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HCSG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. William Blair raised Healthcare Services Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a report on Thursday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $22.00 price objective on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Macquarie Infrastructure restated a “buy” rating on shares of Healthcare Services Group in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, UBS Group set a $25.00 price target on shares of Healthcare Services Group and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Healthcare Services Group

In other news, EVP Patrick J. 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John Christopher Shea sold 54,357 shares of Healthcare Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.41, for a total value of $1,109,426.37. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 29,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $597,849.72. This represents a 64.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 146,962 shares of company stock worth $3,014,100 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Healthcare Services Group Trading Down 4.1%

NASDAQ:HCSG opened at $21.30 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.50 billion, a PE ratio of 25.98 and a beta of 0.73. Healthcare Services Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.13 and a 1-year high of $22.98. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $18.08.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities analysts predict that Healthcare Services Group, Inc. will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.