Nordea Investment Management AB Acquires 635 Shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,639 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 635 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB owned about 0.09% of Chemed worth $7,242,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its holdings in shares of Chemed by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $466,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Chemed by 21.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,282,000 after acquiring an additional 1,544 shares during the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Chemed by 17.1% in the third quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 4,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,763,000 after purchasing an additional 672 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Chemed by 4.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 335,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,820,000 after purchasing an additional 15,791 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vestcor Inc boosted its holdings in Chemed by 35.4% during the third quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 4,351 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,615,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chemed

In related news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 732 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $575.62, for a total value of $421,353.84. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 18,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,526,362.94. This trade represents a 3.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Brian C. Judkins purchased 145 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $519.50 per share, for a total transaction of $75,327.50. Following the acquisition, the vice president now owns 1,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $871,721. This represents a 9.46 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 3.32% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Stock Up 0.7 %

CHE opened at $531.71 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $545.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $562.75. Chemed Co. has a twelve month low of $512.12 and a twelve month high of $654.62. The company has a market capitalization of $8.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.87, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.47.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $5.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.76 by ($0.12). The business 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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.32 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The business 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 of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.38%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.