Chemed (NYSE:CHE) Stock: Insider Spencer Lee Sells 920 Shares

Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) EVP Spencer Lee sold 920 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $537.17, for a total transaction of $494,196.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,931 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,483,315.27. This represents a 6.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Chemed Stock Down 1.6%

NYSE CHE traded down $8.72 on Tuesday, reaching $533.46. The company had a trading volume of 114,109 shares, compared to its average volume of 200,939. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company’s fifty day moving average is $514.65 and its 200 day moving average is $463.43. Chemed Corporation has a 52-week low of $365.20 and a 52-week high of $562.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.51.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $6.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.44 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $690.94 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $685.04 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 35.18% and a net margin of 10.61%. The business’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.27 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Chemed Corporation will post 24.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This is a boost from Chemed’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Chemed from $548.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Chemed from $590.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Chemed from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 10th. UBS Group raised their price target on Chemed from $650.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $520.00 to $620.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Chemed presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $603.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chemed

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Chemed during the second quarter worth about $691,290,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Chemed by 24.7% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 236,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,295,000 after purchasing an additional 46,791 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Chemed by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 146,833 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,162,000 after buying an additional 1,826 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Chemed during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $48,255,000. Finally, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec bought a new stake in shares of Chemed during the second quarter valued at approximately $44,309,000. Institutional investors own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

About Chemed

Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) is a Cincinnati, Ohio-based company that provides healthcare and residential and commercial services through two operating businesses: VITAS Healthcare and Roto-Rooter. Its operations serve customers primarily in the United States, with Roto-Rooter also providing services in Canada.

VITAS Healthcare is a provider of hospice and palliative care for individuals with advanced illnesses. The business delivers care in patients’ homes, hospice inpatient units, hospitals, nursing facilities and other care settings.