MML Investors Services LLC Raises Stake in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

MML Investors Services LLC increased its stake in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 3.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,457 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in Chemed were worth $876,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Chemed by 2.6% in 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 in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Chemed by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 475,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $257,927,000 after acquiring an additional 12,705 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 3,564 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its holdings in Chemed by 4.7% during the third 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. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc boosted its position in Chemed by 10.9% during the second quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 282,753 shares of the company’s stock worth $153,416,000 after purchasing an additional 27,800 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chemed

In other Chemed news, Director George J. Walsh III sold 400 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $597.47, for a total value of $238,988.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,046 shares in the company, valued at $1,819,893.62. The trade was a 11.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 1.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 5,132 shares of company stock worth $3,003,502. Insiders own 3.32% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Stock Performance

Chemed stock opened at $523.16 on Friday. Chemed Co. has a fifty-two week low of $516.91 and a fifty-two week high of $654.62. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $564.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $563.89. The company has a market capitalization of $7.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.44, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.46.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last announced 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). Chemed had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 27.86%. The firm had revenue of $606.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $612.22 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.32 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have 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 dropped 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.

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.