Ballentine Partners LLC Purchases 49 Shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Ballentine Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 7.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 704 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC’s holdings in Chemed were worth $373,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CHE. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Chemed during the third quarter worth $437,150,000. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Chemed by 23.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 238,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,401,000 after acquiring an additional 45,917 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 25.3% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 146,017 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,752,000 after acquiring an additional 29,445 shares in the last quarter. Aureus Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Chemed by 3,147.2% in the third quarter. Aureus Asset Management LLC now owns 29,939 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,993,000 after purchasing an additional 29,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Chemed by 143.5% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 42,267 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,401,000 after purchasing an additional 24,912 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Chemed

In other Chemed news, VP Brian C. Judkins purchased 145 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The shares were bought at an average price of $519.50 per share, with a total value of $75,327.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $871,721. This trade represents a 9.46 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 732 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $575.62, for a total transaction of $421,353.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 18,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,526,362.94. This trade represents a 3.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Chemed Stock Performance

Shares of CHE stock opened at $550.99 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.47. Chemed Co. has a 52 week low of $512.12 and a 52 week high of $654.62. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $544.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $562.98.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $5.64 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.76 by ($0.12). Chemed had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 27.86%. The firm had revenue of $606.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $612.22 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.32 EPS. Chemed’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on CHE shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 30th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th.

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.