Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Holdings Boosted by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 245.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,166 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,223 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Chemed worth $5,385,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Chemed during the fourth quarter valued at about $42,023,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew 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 valued at $72,149,000 after acquiring an additional 13,394 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,934 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,614,000 after acquiring an additional 531 shares in the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Chemed during the fourth quarter valued at about $8,138,000. Finally, Capital Insight Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital Insight Partners LLC now owns 10,633 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,633,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Chemed Price Performance

NYSE:CHE traded down $5.10 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $576.39. The stock had a trading volume of 15,086 shares, compared to its average volume of 101,652. The company has a market capitalization of $8.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.59. Chemed Co. has a 1-year low of $512.12 and a 1-year high of $623.61. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $585.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $564.80.

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

Chemed Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 29th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 29th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.35%. Chemed's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Chemed news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,000 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 101,679 shares in the company, valued at $62,566,139.07. The trade was a 0.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 1,500 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,627 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,454,259.73. The trade was a 9.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 7,500 shares of company stock worth $4,401,120. Corporate insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.