Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Shares Bought by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 22.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 4,363 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 811 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Chemed were worth $2,551,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Alliance increased its stake in shares of Chemed by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $338,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in Chemed by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,914 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,034,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Chemed by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 2,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,330,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Chemed by 3.8% during the third quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on CHE. StockNews.com raised shares of Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Chemed from $604.00 to $712.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Chemed from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th.

Insider Activity

In other Chemed news, VP Brian C. Judkins sold 11,158 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $645.00, for a total transaction of $7,196,910.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $917,190. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Chemed news, CFO Michael D. Witzeman sold 2,650 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $643.14, for a total transaction of $1,704,321.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,882 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,853,529.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Brian C. Judkins sold 11,158 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $645.00, for a total value of $7,196,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $917,190. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,808 shares of company stock valued at $10,184,531 over the last three months. Insiders own 3.32% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE:CHE opened at $580.70 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $619.79 and a 200-day moving average of $594.55. The firm has a market cap of $8.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.46. Chemed Co. has a twelve month low of $492.84 and a twelve month high of $654.62.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.09 by ($0.41). The business had revenue of $589.23 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $587.18 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 12.36%. On average, research analysts forecast that Chemed Co. will post 21.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.28%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio is 8.61%.

Chemed Profile

Chemed Corporation provides hospice and palliative care services to patients through a network of physicians, registered nurses, home health aides, social workers, clergy, and volunteers primarily in the United States. The company operates in VITAS and Roto-Rooter segments. It offers plumbing, drain cleaning, excavation, water restoration, and other related services to residential and commercial customers through company-owned branches, independent contractors, and franchisees.