Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Stock Position Boosted by Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC

Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 21.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,150 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,285 shares during the period. Chemed makes up about 0.7% of Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Chemed were worth $3,788,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Chemed by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $814,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Chemed by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $394,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $667,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock worth $305,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Chemed by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 887 shares of the company’s stock worth $533,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Transactions at Chemed

In other news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.77, for a total transaction of $1,145,540.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 101,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,270,755.95. This trade represents a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Brian C. Judkins acquired 145 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $519.50 per share, with a total value of $75,327.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president now directly owns 1,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $871,721. This represents a 9.46 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 3.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Chemed Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of CHE traded down $5.96 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $526.06. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 57,702 shares, compared to its average volume of 70,555. The company has a market cap of $7.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.47. The business has a fifty day moving average of $545.51 and a 200 day moving average of $562.53. Chemed Co. has a 1 year low of $512.12 and a 1 year high of $654.62.

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

Chemed Announces Dividend

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

Chemed 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.