Bridges Investment Management Inc. Buys 3,528 Shares of Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE)

Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 5.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 71,001 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,528 shares during the quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.49% of Chemed worth $43,688,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Chemed during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. HM Payson & Co. acquired a new stake in Chemed in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its position in Chemed by 54.5% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 51 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Chemed in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Chemed by 64.7% during the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 56 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company's stock.

Chemed Price Performance

Shares of CHE traded down $5.99 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $459.69. 95,700 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 112,308. The company has a market capitalization of $6.73 billion, a PE ratio of 22.39, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $544.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $560.96. Chemed Corporation has a one year low of $457.44 and a one year high of $623.61.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $5.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.59 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $646.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $641.78 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 27.58% and a net margin of 12.40%. Chemed's revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.20 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Chemed Corporation will post 21.43 EPS for the current year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 29th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 29th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Chemed's dividend payout ratio is 9.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chemed

In related news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,500 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 101,197 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,335,010.65. This trade represents a 1.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 14,627 shares of the company's stock, 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,500 shares of company stock valued at $2,598,450. 3.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on CHE shares. 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. Wall Street Zen lowered Chemed from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $640.00 price target (down from $674.00) on shares of Chemed in a research note on Monday, June 30th.

Chemed Company Profile

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.