Insider Selling: Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) EVP Sells 732 Shares of Stock

Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 732 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.62, for a total value of $421,353.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 18,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,526,362.94. The trade was a 3.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Chemed Stock Performance

Chemed stock traded up $7.41 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $578.72. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 24,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 85,864. The company has a market capitalization of $8.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.87, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.46. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $578.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $565.06. Chemed Co. has a 12-month low of $523.33 and a 12-month high of $654.62.

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

Chemed Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.35%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Chemed from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd.

Institutional Trading of Chemed

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Chemed by 34.4% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 86 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust bought a new position in Chemed in the 3rd quarter worth about $61,000. Mather Group LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Chemed by 60.5% in the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 183 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Chemed by 721.7% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chemed during the third quarter worth about $201,000. 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.