Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) Short Interest Up 23.2% in May

Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 422,900 shares, an increase of 23.2% from the May 15th total of 343,400 shares. Approximately 2.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 130,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.3 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,500 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $576.45, for a total value of $864,675.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 101,197 shares in the company, valued at $58,335,010.65. This trade represents a 1.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last three months, insiders sold 5,500 shares of company stock valued at $3,213,780. Company insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Chemed

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Chemed during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Chemed in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Chemed by 64.7% during the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 56 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co. acquired a new stake in Chemed in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Chemed in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 95.85% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on CHE. Wall Street Zen raised Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Chemed from $667.00 to $674.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th.

Chemed Stock Performance

Shares of CHE traded down $3.65 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $546.00. 120,431 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 104,676. The stock's fifty day moving average is $569.45 and its 200 day moving average is $565.09. Chemed has a 1-year low of $512.12 and a 1-year high of $623.61. The stock has a market cap of $7.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.54.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $5.59 by $0.04. Chemed had a return on equity of 27.58% and a net margin of 12.40%. The firm had revenue of $646.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $641.78 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.20 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Chemed will post 21.43 EPS for the current year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 29th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 29th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.37%. Chemed's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.74%.

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.

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