Amundi Sells 6,963 Shares of Chemed Corporation $CHE

Amundi cut its stake in Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 18.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,827 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,963 shares during the period. Amundi owned approximately 0.21% of Chemed worth $19,088,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Chemed in the 1st quarter worth $3,598,000. Graham Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in Chemed in the 1st quarter worth $859,000. MAI Capital Management boosted its stake in Chemed by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 4,165 shares of the company's stock worth $2,563,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the period. Second Line Capital LLC boosted its stake in Chemed by 8.4% in the 1st quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 5,801 shares of the company's stock worth $3,570,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the period. Finally, Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new position in Chemed in the 1st quarter worth $281,000. 95.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Chemed Price Performance

NYSE:CHE traded down $11.89 on Friday, hitting $446.00. 160,245 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 167,896. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $451.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $531.04. The company has a market cap of $6.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.46. Chemed Corporation has a 52 week low of $408.42 and a 52 week high of $623.60.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $4.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $6.02 by ($1.75). The firm had revenue of $618.80 million during 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 25.83%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.47 earnings per share. Chemed has set its FY 2025 guidance at 22.000-22.300 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Chemed Corporation will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th were issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. This is a positive change from Chemed's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Chemed's payout ratio is currently 12.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on CHE. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Chemed from $640.00 to $589.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $490.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Chemed from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Chemed from $610.00 to $595.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of Chemed from $650.00 to $580.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Chemed has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $578.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Nicholas Michael Westfall sold 10,012 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $421.91, for a total value of $4,224,162.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director George J. Walsh III bought 200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $417.10 per share, for a total transaction of $83,420.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 3,523 shares in the company, valued at $1,469,443.30. This trade represents a 6.02% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 3.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.