Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD Sells 7,292 Shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD cut its holdings in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 22.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,292 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,292 shares during the quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD owned approximately 0.17% of Chemed worth $13,400,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CHE. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Chemed during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,023,000. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 60.7% in the fourth quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 4,995 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,647,000 after buying an additional 1,886 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Chemed by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 136,182 shares of the company's stock worth $72,149,000 after buying an additional 13,394 shares during the last quarter. Bright Rock Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Chemed during the fourth quarter worth $1,060,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Chemed by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,934 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,614,000 after acquiring an additional 531 shares during the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CHE. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective 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. StockNews.com upgraded Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Chemed news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $615.33, for a total transaction of $615,330.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 101,679 shares in the company, valued at $62,566,139.07. This represents a 0.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Chemed Stock Performance

Shares of CHE stock traded up $0.62 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $576.08. 126,666 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 99,783. Chemed Co. has a 52 week low of $512.12 and a 52 week high of $623.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.11, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.59. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $590.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $565.49.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.59 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $646.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $641.78 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 12.69%. The business's revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.20 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 EPS for the current year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.35%. Chemed's payout ratio is presently 9.74%.

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.