Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. Has $77.30 Million Stock Holdings in Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE)

Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. increased its position in shares of Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 5.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 125,620 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,457 shares during the quarter. Chemed makes up approximately 2.7% of Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. owned about 0.86% of Chemed worth $77,296,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Chemed during the fourth quarter worth $42,023,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,586 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated purchased a new stake in shares of Chemed in the 1st quarter valued at $309,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Chemed by 23.0% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the company's stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Chemed by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 136,182 shares of the company's stock worth $72,149,000 after acquiring an additional 13,394 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Chemed

In related news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $576.45, for a total transaction of $864,675.00. Following the sale, 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 5,500 shares of company stock worth $3,213,780. 3.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on CHE. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Chemed from $667.00 to $674.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report 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.

Chemed Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of CHE traded up $2.80 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $558.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 337,296 shares, compared to its average volume of 106,623. Chemed Corporation has a 1-year low of $512.12 and a 1-year high of $623.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.54. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $564.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $565.03.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $5.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.59 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $646.94 million for 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%. The business's revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.20 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Chemed Corporation will post 21.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 29th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 29th. Chemed's payout ratio is currently 9.74%.

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.