Eukles Asset Management Sells 50 Shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Eukles Asset Management lessened its stake in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,646 shares of the company’s stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Chemed accounts for approximately 1.8% of Eukles Asset Management’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Eukles Asset Management’s holdings in Chemed were worth $3,886,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chemed during the third quarter worth approximately $44,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Chemed during the first quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Legacy Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Chemed during the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 155.6% during the first quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 2,283.3% during the third quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 143 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Chemed news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $641.65, for a total value of $1,283,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,320,654. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CFO Michael D. Witzeman sold 2,650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 2,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,853,529.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $641.65, for a total transaction of $1,283,300.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,320,654. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 15,808 shares of company stock valued at $10,184,531. Insiders own 4.03% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Stock Performance

CHE traded up $1.86 during trading on Friday, hitting $599.28. The stock had a trading volume of 23,897 shares, compared to its average volume of 76,843. The company has a market capitalization of $9.06 billion, a PE ratio of 33.35, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.42. Chemed Co. has a twelve month low of $492.84 and a twelve month high of $654.62. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $621.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $587.37.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $6.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.25 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $585.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $586.64 million. Chemed had a net margin of 12.03% and a return on equity of 32.29%. Chemed’s revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.39 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Chemed Co. will post 21.99 EPS for the current year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.27%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on CHE shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Chemed from $604.00 to $712.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Chemed from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th.

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.