Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Sells 63,522 Shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. trimmed its holdings in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 27.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 164,518 shares of the company's stock after selling 63,522 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned 1.09% of Chemed worth $96,201,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHE. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in Chemed by 175.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 362,270 shares of the company's stock worth $184,914,000 after buying an additional 230,531 shares during the last quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP acquired a new stake in Chemed in the 4th quarter worth about $98,742,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Chemed in the 4th quarter worth about $71,705,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Chemed by 144.0% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 184,312 shares of the company's stock worth $93,363,000 after buying an additional 108,759 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in shares of Chemed in the 3rd quarter valued at about $47,655,000. 95.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Chemed

In other news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 2,000 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $641.65, for a total value of $1,283,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,320,654. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Brian C. Judkins sold 11,158 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $645.00, for a total transaction of $7,196,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $917,190. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $641.65, for a total value of $1,283,300.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,320,654. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 15,808 shares of company stock worth $10,184,531. 4.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Chemed from $604.00 to $712.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Chemed from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th.

Chemed Trading Up 0.1 %

CHE stock traded up $0.93 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $630.25. 48,428 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 68,616. Chemed Co. has a 12-month low of $492.84 and a 12-month high of $654.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $618.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $581.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.42.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $6.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.25 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $585.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $586.64 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 32.29% and a net margin of 12.03%. Chemed's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.39 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Chemed Co. will post 21.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. Chemed's payout ratio is 8.93%.

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.