Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Stake Raised by Signal Advisors Wealth LLC

Signal Advisors Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 28.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,412 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,417 shares during the period. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC's holdings in Chemed were worth $3,945,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its position in Chemed by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 501,562 shares of the company's stock worth $265,726,000 after purchasing an additional 5,809 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Chemed by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 340,409 shares of the company's stock worth $180,654,000 after buying an additional 4,966 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in Chemed by 18.9% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 283,790 shares of the company's stock worth $150,352,000 after acquiring an additional 45,174 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its position in Chemed by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 252,237 shares of the company's stock valued at $133,635,000 after buying an additional 12,167 shares during the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Chemed Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of NYSE:CHE traded down $13.27 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $549.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 142,835 shares, compared to its average volume of 103,520. The firm has a market cap of $8.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.54. Chemed Co. has a 1 year low of $512.12 and a 1 year high of $623.61. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $574.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $566.03.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $5.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.59 by $0.04. Chemed had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 12.69%. The company had revenue of $646.94 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $641.78 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.20 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 29th. Chemed's payout ratio is currently 9.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Chemed from $667.00 to $674.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen raised Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,500 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $576.45, for a total transaction of $864,675.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 101,197 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,335,010.65. This trade represents a 1.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders sold a total of 5,500 shares of company stock worth $3,213,780 in the last three months. 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.