Chemed Corporation $CHE Shares Bought by Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec

Key Points

• Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec has increased its stake in Chemed Corporation by 118.2%, now owning approximately 22,826 shares worth $14 million.
• Chemed has recently reported a quarterly EPS of $4.27, missing estimates, and plans to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share, up from $0.50.
• Wall Street analysts have lowered their price targets for Chemed, with a consensus target price of $579.75 and a general rating of "Moderate Buy."

Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec boosted its stake in shares of Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 118.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,826 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,366 shares during the quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec owned about 0.16% of Chemed worth $14,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHE. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in Chemed during the first quarter valued at about $29,000. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new stake in Chemed in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Chemed in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its stake in Chemed by 54.5% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 51 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Chemed by 600.0% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 98 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.85% of the company's stock.

Chemed Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:CHE traded up $6.72 during trading on Monday, hitting $458.62. The stock had a trading volume of 154,376 shares, compared to its average volume of 166,099. Chemed Corporation has a 12-month low of $408.42 and a 12-month high of $623.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $463.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $537.18.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $4.27 earnings per share (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $650.60 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.47 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Chemed has set its FY 2025 guidance at 22.000-22.300 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Chemed Corporation will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Chemed Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is an increase from Chemed's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 11th. Chemed's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.34%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity at Chemed

In related news, Director George J. Walsh III purchased 200 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 3,523 shares in the company, valued at $1,469,443.30. The trade was a 6.02% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Nicholas Michael Westfall sold 10,012 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $421.91, for a total value of $4,224,162.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.29% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.