Chemed (NYSE:CHE) Hits New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $468.30 and last traded at $472.44, with a volume of 6237 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $473.18.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on CHE shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Chemed from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $640.00 target price (down previously from $674.00) on shares of Chemed in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on Chemed from $708.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 30th.

Chemed Stock Up 0.1%

The company's 50 day moving average price is $555.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $563.17. The stock has a market cap of $6.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.50.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $5.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.59 by $0.04. Chemed had a net margin of 12.40% and a return on equity of 27.58%. The firm had revenue of $646.94 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $641.78 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.20 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Chemed Corporation will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 29th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 29th. Chemed's dividend payout ratio is currently 9.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chemed

In other news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $577.99, for a total transaction of $866,985.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 14,627 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,454,259.73. The trade was a 9.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $576.45, for a total transaction of $864,675.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 101,197 shares in the company, valued at $58,335,010.65. This trade represents a 1.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,500 shares of company stock worth $2,598,450 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chemed

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Chemed during the fourth quarter valued at $42,023,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Chemed by 14.2% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 950 shares of the company's stock valued at $585,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp grew its holdings in shares of Chemed by 71.2% during the first quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 3,572 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,198,000 after buying an additional 1,486 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in Chemed by 53.3% in the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 161 shares of the company's stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Chemed by 108.4% in the first quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 3,049 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,876,000 after purchasing an additional 1,586 shares during the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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