Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) EVP Nicholas Michael Westfall Sells 10,012 Shares

Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) EVP Nicholas Michael Westfall sold 10,012 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $421.91, for a total transaction of $4,224,162.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Chemed Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE CHE opened at $428.47 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $500.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $550.13. Chemed Corporation has a 52 week low of $408.42 and a 52 week high of $623.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.46.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $4.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.02 by ($1.75). Chemed had a return on equity of 25.83% and a net margin of 11.56%. The firm had revenue of $618.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $650.60 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.47 EPS. Chemed’s revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Chemed Corporation will post 21.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is a boost from Chemed’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Chemed from $640.00 to $589.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Chemed from $650.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Chemed from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 5th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Chemed from $708.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Chemed in a research report on Friday, July 25th. They set a “hold” rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $579.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chemed

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Chemed by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,977 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,107,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Chemed by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 185 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Chemed by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,529,000 after purchasing an additional 1,636 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Chemed by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 340,409 shares of the company’s stock valued at $180,654,000 after buying an additional 4,966 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential PLC lifted its stake in Chemed by 17.6% in the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 3,521 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,865,000 after buying an additional 528 shares in the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.