Second Line Capital LLC Purchases 756 Shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Second Line Capital LLC lifted its position in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 16.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,353 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 756 shares during the period. Second Line Capital LLC's holdings in Chemed were worth $2,836,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CHE. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Chemed in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,023,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Chemed by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 136,182 shares of the company's stock worth $72,149,000 after acquiring an additional 13,394 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in Chemed by 12.1% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Chemed during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,138,000. Finally, Capital Insight Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Chemed by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital Insight Partners LLC now owns 10,633 shares of the company's stock worth $5,633,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company's stock.

Chemed Stock Performance

Shares of Chemed stock traded down $4.05 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $567.17. 35,240 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 117,760. Chemed Co. has a 52 week low of $512.12 and a 52 week high of $623.60. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $585.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $564.84. The company has a market cap of $8.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.59.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 firm 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 company's revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.20 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 29th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 29th. Chemed's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.74%.

Insider Transactions at Chemed

In other Chemed news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $577.99, for a total value of $866,985.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,627 shares in the company, valued at $8,454,259.73. This trade represents a 9.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.67, for a total transaction of $1,187,340.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 102,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,957,441.93. The trade was a 1.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,500 shares of company stock worth $4,401,120 over the last three months. 3.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.