International Card Establishment (OTCMKTS:ICRD) & Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG) Head-To-Head Comparison

International Card Establishment (OTCMKTS:ICRD) and Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG) are both business services companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares International Card Establishment and Healthcare Services Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
International Card Establishment	N/A	N/A	N/A
Healthcare Services Group	0.61%	11.74%	7.19%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares International Card Establishment and Healthcare Services Group”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
International Card Establishment	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Healthcare Services Group	$1.72 billion	0.69	$39.47 million	$0.14	116.86

Healthcare Services Group has higher revenue and earnings than International Card Establishment.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for International Card Establishment and Healthcare Services Group, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
International Card Establishment	0	0	0	0	0.00
Healthcare Services Group	0	1	3	1	3.00

Healthcare Services Group has a consensus price target of $16.25, indicating a potential downside of 0.67%. Given Healthcare Services Group’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Healthcare Services Group is more favorable than International Card Establishment.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

98.0% of Healthcare Services Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.6% of Healthcare Services Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Healthcare Services Group beats International Card Establishment on 10 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About International Card Establishment

International Card Establishment, Inc. provides merchant services in the United States. It offers payment processing services for brick and mortar merchants; proprietary gift and loyalty program; gift cards with customized artwork; various merchant terminals and accessories; leasing program; customer support; and agent program. The company is headquartered in Camarillo, California.

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. The Housekeeping segment engages in the cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing of resident rooms and common areas of the customers' facilities, as well as laundering and processing of the bed linens, uniforms, resident personal clothing, and other assorted linen items utilized at the customers' facilities. The Dietary segment provides food purchasing, meal preparation, and professional dietitian services, which include the development of menus that meet the dietary needs of residents; and on-site management and clinical consulting services to facilities. It serves long-term and post-acute care facilities, hospitals, and the healthcare industry through referrals and solicitation of target facilities. The company was incorporated in 1976 and is based in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.