EP Wealth Advisors LLC Sells 428 Shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 22.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,459 shares of the company’s stock after selling 428 shares during the quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Chemed were worth $937,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chemed in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chemed in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Chemed during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in Chemed by 110.6% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in Chemed during the first quarter valued at approximately $67,000. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Chemed Stock Up 1.5 %

NYSE:CHE traded up $8.30 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $549.27. 132,672 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 85,684. Chemed Co. has a 1 year low of $492.84 and a 1 year high of $654.62. The company has a market cap of $8.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $543.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $583.29.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $5.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.59 by ($0.12). Chemed had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 29.90%. The firm had revenue of $595.88 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $599.20 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.71 EPS. Chemed’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Chemed Co. will post 21.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 30th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.29%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 30th. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CHE has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Chemed from $712.00 to $697.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 21st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 4th.

Insider Transactions at Chemed

In other news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $567.54, for a total value of $2,270,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 108,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,605,899.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Chemed news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.17, for a total transaction of $816,255.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 107,049 shares in the company, valued at $58,252,854.33. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $567.54, for a total transaction of $2,270,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 108,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,605,899.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,784 shares of company stock valued at $3,240,053. 3.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.