Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Shares Sold by Natixis Advisors L.P.

Natixis Advisors L.P. lessened its holdings in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 24.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 58,006 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,134 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Chemed were worth $33,917,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Chicago Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chemed in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,170,000. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in shares of Chemed by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 67,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,715,000 after purchasing an additional 3,654 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 229.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 5,984 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,110,000 after purchasing an additional 4,166 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Chemed in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,325,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Chemed by 1.3% in the third 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of CHE opened at $561.65 on Friday. Chemed Co. has a 12-month low of $492.84 and a 12-month high of $654.62. The company has a 50-day moving average of $620.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $593.17. The stock has a market cap of $8.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.23, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.46.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.09 by ($0.41). The company had revenue of $589.23 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $587.18 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 12.36%. As a group, analysts forecast that Chemed Co. will post 21.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.28%. Chemed’s payout ratio is currently 8.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $641.65, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, VP Brian C. Judkins sold 11,158 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $645.00, for a total value of $7,196,910.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $917,190. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.