49,765 Chemed Corporation $CHE Shares Sold by Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH

Key Points

• Fort Washington Investment Advisors cut its Chemed stake by 97.6%, selling 49,765 shares and retaining 1,248 shares valued at approximately $630,000. Institutional investors collectively own 95.85% of Chemed.
• Analysts maintain a generally cautious outlook, with an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $554.60, despite UBS initiating coverage with a Buy rating and a $650 target.
• Chemed reported quarterly EPS of $6.06, beating estimates, while revenue rose 8.8% year over year to $673.25 million. The company also increased its quarterly dividend from $0.60 to $0.70 per share, equivalent to a 0.5% yield.

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH cut its stake in Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 97.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,248 shares of the company's stock after selling 49,765 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH's holdings in Chemed were worth $630,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Chemed during the second quarter valued at about $691,290,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Chemed in the 2nd quarter worth about $48,255,000. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec bought a new position in shares of Chemed during the second quarter valued at approximately $44,309,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Chemed in the second quarter worth $43,800,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Chemed by 24.7% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 236,392 shares of the company's stock valued at $89,295,000 after purchasing an additional 46,791 shares during the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Chemed from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, October 10th. Weiss Ratings raised Chemed from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Chemed in a research note on Friday, September 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $650.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Chemed in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Chemed from $436.00 to $548.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $554.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chemed

In other news, Director Patrick P. Grace sold 190 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.00, for a total transaction of $101,080.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,533 shares in the company, valued at $1,879,556. This trade represents a 5.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $539.51, for a total value of $1,079,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 70,418 shares of the company's stock, valued at $37,991,215.18. This trade represents a 2.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,190 shares of company stock valued at $4,833,160. 3.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Chemed Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE:CHE opened at $512.20 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $517.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $471.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market cap of $6.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.51. Chemed Corporation has a one year low of $365.20 and a one year high of $557.00.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $6.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.60 by $0.46. The company had revenue of $673.25 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $665.04 million. Chemed had a net margin of 10.60% and a return on equity of 31.77%. Chemed's revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.27 earnings per share. Chemed has set its FY 2026 guidance at 25.000-25.750 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Chemed Corporation will post 23.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. This is an increase from Chemed's previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Chemed's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.06%.

Chemed Profile

Chemed Corporation is a diversified services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its operations are organized through two principal businesses: VITAS Healthcare and Roto-Rooter.

VITAS Healthcare provides hospice and palliative care for patients with advanced illnesses. Its services include clinical care, pain and symptom management, emotional and spiritual support, and assistance for patients and their families in homes, hospice residences, hospitals, nursing facilities, and other care settings.

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