4,338 Shares in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Purchased by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 4,338 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,669,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of Chemed in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Chemed by 64.7% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Chemed by 54.5% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 51 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Chemed by 77.3% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in shares of Chemed by 633.3% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 88 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CHE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target 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. Wall Street Zen raised Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th.

Chemed Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of CHE traded up $2.54 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $552.57. 133,445 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 103,658. Chemed Co. has a fifty-two week low of $512.12 and a fifty-two week high of $623.61. The business's 50 day moving average is $573.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $565.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.54.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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. Chemed had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 12.69%. The business had revenue of $646.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $641.78 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.20 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast 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 issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 29th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.36%. Chemed's dividend payout ratio is currently 9.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $577.86, for a total value of $866,790.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,127 shares in the company, valued at $9,319,148.22. This represents a 8.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $615.33, for a total transaction of $615,330.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 101,679 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $62,566,139.07. This trade represents a 0.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 5,500 shares of company stock worth $3,213,780. Corporate insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

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.