B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Has $297,000 Stock Holdings in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG increased its stake in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 8.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 560 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Chemed were worth $297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Chemed by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 464,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $279,063,000 after purchasing an additional 3,564 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Chemed by 4.9% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 335,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,820,000 after buying an additional 15,791 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Chemed by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 266,786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,343,000 after acquiring an additional 20,310 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its holdings in Chemed by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 242,172 shares of the company’s stock worth $128,303,000 after acquiring an additional 22,105 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Chemed in the 4th quarter worth about $95,872,000. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Chemed from $633.00 to $667.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th.

Chemed Trading Down 3.4 %

CHE opened at $598.17 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $580.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $568.11. Chemed Co. has a 1-year low of $512.12 and a 1-year high of $632.53. The company has a market cap of $8.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.43.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.33%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 102,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,957,441.93. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 3.32% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Company Profile

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.