AlphaQuest LLC Buys 1,534 Shares of Chemed Corporation $CHE

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC significantly increased its holdings in Chemed Corporation by 527.1%, acquiring an additional 1,534 shares, bringing its total to 1,825 shares valued at approximately $1.12 million.
• Chemed Corporation's recent quarterly earnings reported earnings per share of $4.27, which fell short of the consensus estimate of $6.02, despite a revenue increase of 3.8% year-over-year.
• The company announced an increased quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share, with a dividend yield of 0.5%, up from its previous dividend of $0.50.

AlphaQuest LLC boosted its stake in Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 527.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,825 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,534 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in Chemed were worth $1,123,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in Chemed by 14.2% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 950 shares of the company's stock valued at $585,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC bought a new position in Chemed in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $265,000. Mather Group LLC. lifted its stake in Chemed by 53.3% in the 1st 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. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its stake in Chemed by 71.2% in the 1st quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 3,572 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,198,000 after purchasing an additional 1,486 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Chemed by 108.4% in the 1st 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. Institutional investors own 95.85% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chemed

In other news, Director George J. Walsh III acquired 200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $417.10 per share, for a total transaction of $83,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,523 shares in the company, valued at $1,469,443.30. This represents a 6.02% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Nicholas Michael Westfall sold 10,012 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $421.91, for a total transaction of $4,224,162.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

Chemed Stock Up 1.3%

CHE opened at $460.0050 on Friday. Chemed Corporation has a twelve month low of $408.42 and a twelve month high of $623.60. The company has a fifty day moving average of $472.64 and a 200-day moving average of $540.75. The stock has a market cap of $6.70 billion, a PE ratio of 23.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.46.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $4.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.02 by ($1.75). Chemed had a return on equity of 25.83% and a net margin of 11.56%.The firm had revenue of $618.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $650.60 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.47 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Chemed has set its FY 2025 guidance at 22.000-22.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Chemed Corporation will post 21.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Chemed's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. Chemed's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on CHE shares. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Chemed from $708.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Chemed from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Chemed from $640.00 to $589.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Chemed in a research report on Friday, July 25th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $500.00 price target for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Chemed from $650.00 to $580.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $579.75.

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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