Raymond James & Associates Buys 224 Shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 0.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 72,310 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the quarter. Raymond James & Associates owned approximately 0.48% of Chemed worth $39,234,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHE. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Chemed during the 4th quarter worth about $92,359,000. TD Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in Chemed by 164.3% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 205,777 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,328,000 after acquiring an additional 127,934 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Chemed by 121.5% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 203,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,760,000 after acquiring an additional 111,399 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Chemed during the 4th quarter worth about $430,970,000. Finally, Epoch Investment Partners Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 85.2% in the 4th quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 152,162 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,977,000 after purchasing an additional 70,001 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE CHE opened at $577.57 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.74 billion, a PE ratio of 31.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.43. Chemed Co. has a 1 year low of $492.84 and a 1 year high of $654.62. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $550.69 and its 200-day moving average is $581.10.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $5.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.59 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $595.88 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $599.20 million. Chemed had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 29.21%. The business’s revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.71 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Chemed Co. will post 21.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.35%. This is an increase from Chemed’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CHE. StockNews.com raised shares of Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Chemed from $712.00 to $697.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 21st.

Insider Activity at Chemed

In related news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.17, for a total value of $816,255.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 107,049 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,252,854.33. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Chemed news, EVP Nicholas Michael Westfall sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $561.58, for a total transaction of $1,123,160.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,990 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,363,864.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.17, for a total transaction of $816,255.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 107,049 shares in the company, valued at $58,252,854.33. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,784 shares of company stock worth $3,232,313 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.32% of the company’s stock.

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.