Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) Shares Sold by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA trimmed its holdings in Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 99.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 409 shares of the company's stock after selling 107,450 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA's holdings in Chemed were worth $252,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Chemed during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new position in shares of Chemed in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in shares of Chemed by 633.3% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 88 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Chemed by 600.0% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 98 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHE has been the subject of several recent research reports. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Chemed from $708.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $640.00 target price (down from $674.00) on shares of Chemed in a report on Monday, June 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Chemed from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th.

Insider Activity at Chemed

In related news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,500 shares of Chemed 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 101,197 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,335,010.65. This trade represents a 1.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 1,500 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction dated 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,500 shares of company stock valued at $2,598,450 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

Chemed Trading Down 0.5%

CHE traded down $2.24 on Thursday, hitting $463.87. 84,051 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 129,513. Chemed Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $449.01 and a fifty-two week high of $623.60. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $526.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $556.82. The stock has a market cap of $6.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.50.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $5.59 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $646.94 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $641.78 million. Chemed had a net margin of 12.40% and a return on equity of 27.58%. Chemed's revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.20 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Chemed Corporation will post 21.43 EPS for the current year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 29th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 29th. Chemed's dividend payout ratio is presently 9.74%.

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.