First Trust Advisors LP Sells 943 Shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

First Trust Advisors LP reduced its stake in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,393 shares of the company's stock after selling 943 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.22% of Chemed worth $17,692,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CHE. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Chemed by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 52 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in Chemed in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Chemed by 64.7% in the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 56 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in Chemed in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Chemed by 77.3% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Chemed from $667.00 to $674.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,000 shares of the business'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 value of $615,330.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 101,679 shares in the company, valued at $62,566,139.07. The trade was a 0.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

Chemed Stock Performance

NYSE CHE traded up $4.73 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $579.69. The company had a trading volume of 169,818 shares, compared to its average volume of 99,318. Chemed Co. has a 52 week low of $512.12 and a 52 week high of $623.61. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $588.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $566.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.29, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.49.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. The business had revenue of $646.94 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $641.78 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 12.69%. The firm's revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.20 EPS. On average, 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 was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.35%. Chemed's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.