Gotham Asset Management LLC Trims Stock Position in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Gotham Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 11.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,005 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,125 shares during the quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC owned about 0.11% of Chemed worth $8,479,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on CHE shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Chemed from $667.00 to $674.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com raised Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Chemed news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,000 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $615.33, for a total transaction of $615,330.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 101,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,566,139.07. This trade represents a 0.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 1,500 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $577.86, for a total value of $866,790.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,127 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,319,148.22. The trade was a 8.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $3,534,135. 3.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Chemed Price Performance

CHE traded up $13.35 on Friday, reaching $579.48. 131,798 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 101,730. The company's 50-day moving average price is $586.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $564.37. Chemed Co. has a fifty-two week low of $512.12 and a fifty-two week high of $623.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.48 billion, a PE ratio of 29.28, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.59.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $5.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.59 by $0.04. Chemed had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 12.69%. The company had revenue of $646.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $641.78 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.20 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Chemed

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.