Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) Shares Purchased by Commerce Bank

Commerce Bank increased its holdings in Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 246.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,216 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,711 shares during the quarter. Commerce Bank's holdings in Chemed were worth $3,210,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 14.2% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 950 shares of the company's stock worth $585,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chemed during the 1st quarter worth approximately $265,000. Mather Group LLC. grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 53.3% during the 1st quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 161 shares of the company's stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 71.2% during the 1st quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 3,572 shares of the company's stock worth $2,198,000 after purchasing an additional 1,486 shares during the period. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 108.4% during the 1st quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 3,049 shares of the company's stock worth $1,876,000 after purchasing an additional 1,586 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Chemed

In other Chemed news, Director George J. Walsh III purchased 200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $417.10 per share, with a total value of $83,420.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,469,443.30. This trade represents a 6.02% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $577.99, for a total value of $866,985.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 14,627 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,454,259.73. The trade was a 9.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,012 shares of company stock valued at $5,957,938 over the last three months. 3.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Chemed Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE:CHE traded up $5.77 on Tuesday, reaching $429.10. 177,555 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 175,604. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.46. The business has a fifty day moving average of $505.95 and a 200-day moving average of $551.83. 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 quarterly 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). Chemed had a return on equity of 25.83% and a net margin of 11.56%. The business had revenue of $618.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $650.60 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.47 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Chemed Corporation will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Chemed Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Chemed's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. Chemed's dividend payout ratio is currently 10.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Chemed from $708.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of Chemed from $650.00 to $580.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Chemed from $640.00 to $589.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Chemed in a report on Friday, July 25th. They set a "hold" rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Chemed from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $579.75.

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.