Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Shares Sold by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System cut its holdings in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 85,877 shares of the company’s stock after selling 359 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned 0.57% of Chemed worth $50,217,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Chicago Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Chemed during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,170,000. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of Chemed by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 67,918 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,715,000 after purchasing an additional 3,654 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its holdings in shares of Chemed by 229.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 5,984 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,110,000 after purchasing an additional 4,166 shares in the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Chemed in the 4th quarter valued at $2,325,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Chemed by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 97,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,585,000 after purchasing an additional 1,283 shares in the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CHE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Chemed from $604.00 to $712.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Chemed from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th.

Chemed Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHE opened at $573.34 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $624.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $590.66. Chemed Co. has a 12 month low of $492.84 and a 12 month high of $654.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.42.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.09 by ($0.41). Chemed had a return on equity of 31.69% and a net margin of 12.36%. The company had revenue of $589.23 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $587.18 million. On average, sell-side 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. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.28%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.61%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Chemed 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,853,529.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Chemed 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,853,529.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Brian C. Judkins sold 11,158 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,422 shares in the company, valued at $917,190. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,808 shares of company stock valued at $10,184,531. Insiders own 3.32% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Company 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.