Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) Shares Sold by Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) by 9.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,412 shares of the company’s stock after selling 156 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Chemed were worth $869,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CHE. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Chemed in the fourth quarter valued at $42,023,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC raised its position in Chemed by 108.4% in the 1st quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 3,049 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,876,000 after purchasing an additional 1,586 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated purchased a new position in shares of Chemed in the 1st quarter valued at about $309,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Chemed by 23.0% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Chemed by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 136,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,149,000 after buying an additional 13,394 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $640.00 price target (down previously from $674.00) on shares of Chemed in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Chemed from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on Chemed from $708.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Chemed news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 1,500 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $577.99, for a total value of $866,985.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 14,627 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,454,259.73. The trade was a 9.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $576.45, for a total transaction of $864,675.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 101,197 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $58,335,010.65. This trade represents a 1.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,500 shares of company stock worth $2,598,450. Insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Price Performance

NYSE CHE opened at $472.61 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $555.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $563.17. Chemed Corporation has a 12 month low of $469.80 and a 12 month high of $623.61. The company has a market capitalization of $6.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.50.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $5.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.59 by $0.04. Chemed had a net margin of 12.40% and a return on equity of 27.58%. The company had revenue of $646.94 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $641.78 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.20 earnings per share. Chemed’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Chemed Corporation will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 29th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 29th. Chemed’s payout ratio is currently 9.74%.

About Chemed

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.