Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Makes New Investment in Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired 7,590 shares of Chemed Corporation, valued at approximately $4,670,000, representing 0.05% ownership as per its latest SEC filing.
• Chemed recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, yielding 0.43% annually, with a payout ratio of 9.74%.
• Analysts have set new price targets for Chemed, with Bank of America lowering its target from $708.00 to $650.00, while Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage with a "hold" rating at a target price of $500.00.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 7,590 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,670,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.05% of Chemed as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Chemed by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,977 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,107,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Chemed by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 266,786 shares of the company's stock valued at $141,343,000 after buying an additional 20,310 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Chemed in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $95,872,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in Chemed by 633.3% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 88 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its position in shares of Chemed by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 45,291 shares of the company's stock worth $23,906,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on CHE shares. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Chemed in a research report on Friday, July 25th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Chemed from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Chemed from $708.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $640.00 price objective (down from $674.00) on shares of Chemed in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Chemed from $650.00 to $580.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $592.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Chemed news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $576.45, for a total transaction of $864,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 101,197 shares in the company, valued at $58,335,010.65. The trade was a 1.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was 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 directly owned 14,627 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,454,259.73. This represents a 9.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,500 shares of company stock worth $2,598,450 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

Chemed Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHE traded up $1.35 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $417.92. The company had a trading volume of 50,793 shares, compared to its average volume of 132,972. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $517.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $555.29. The company has a market capitalization of $6.11 billion, a PE ratio of 21.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.50. Chemed Corporation has a one year low of $410.00 and a one year high of $623.60.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $4.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $6.02 by ($1.75). The business had revenue of $618.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $650.60 million. Chemed had a net margin of 11.56% and a return on equity of 25.94%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.47 EPS. Research analysts expect that Chemed Corporation will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 29th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 29th. Chemed's payout ratio is currently 9.74%.

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.