AQR Capital Management LLC Purchases 12,300 Shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 18.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,665 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,300 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.54% of Chemed worth $42,736,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Chemed by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 52 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in Chemed in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Chemed by 64.7% during the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 56 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new stake in Chemed during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Chemed by 77.3% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.85% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chemed

In other news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $615.33, for a total value of $615,330.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 101,679 shares in the company, valued at $62,566,139.07. This represents a 0.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

Chemed Stock Up 0.1 %

CHE traded up $0.62 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $576.08. 126,666 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 99,783. The company's 50-day moving average is $590.61 and its 200 day moving average is $565.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.43 billion, a PE ratio of 29.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.59. Chemed Co. has a 52 week low of $512.12 and a 52 week high of $623.61.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $5.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.59 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $646.94 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $641.78 million. Chemed had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 27.86%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.20 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.35%. Chemed's payout ratio is 9.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Chemed from $667.00 to $674.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com raised Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th.

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.