Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) VP Brian C. Judkins Purchases 145 Shares

Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) VP Brian C. Judkins acquired 145 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $519.50 per share, with a total value of $75,327.50. Following the purchase, the vice president now owns 1,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $871,721. The trade was a 9.46 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Chemed Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CHE opened at $529.80 on Thursday. Chemed Co. has a 52-week low of $512.12 and a 52-week high of $654.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.77, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $551.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $562.94.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last issued its 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 firm had revenue of $606.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $612.22 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 12.69%. Chemed’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.32 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.38%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chemed

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CHE. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Chemed by 2.6% during the second quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 580,316 shares of the company’s stock valued at $314,868,000 after buying an additional 14,651 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Chemed by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 475,372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $257,927,000 after acquiring an additional 12,705 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Chemed by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 464,354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $279,063,000 after acquiring an additional 3,564 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Chemed by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 335,443 shares of the company’s stock worth $201,820,000 after acquiring an additional 15,791 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its stake in shares of Chemed by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 332,757 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,977,000 after purchasing an additional 14,814 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.