Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $770,000 Stock Position in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 335.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,453 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,119 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Chemed were worth $770,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Neuberger Berman Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 5,809 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 1.5% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 18.9% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 283,790 shares of the company's stock worth $150,352,000 after buying an additional 45,174 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 266,786 shares of the company's stock worth $141,343,000 after buying an additional 20,310 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Epoch Investment Partners Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 252,237 shares of the company's stock worth $133,635,000 after buying an additional 12,167 shares during the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Chemed Trading Up 0.2%

CHE stock traded up $1.43 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $574.62. 79,372 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 103,140. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $580.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $565.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.41 billion, a PE ratio of 29.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.59. Chemed Co. has a 1-year low of $512.12 and a 1-year high of $623.61.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $646.94 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $641.78 million. Chemed had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 27.86%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.20 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 29th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 29th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.35%. Chemed's payout ratio is 9.74%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.67, for a total value of $1,187,340.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 102,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,957,441.93. The trade was a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 1,500 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $577.86, for a total transaction of $866,790.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,127 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,319,148.22. The trade was a 8.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,500 shares of company stock worth $4,401,120. Corporate insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on CHE. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Chemed from $667.00 to $674.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th.

Chemed 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.