Vontobel Holding Ltd. Sells 63 Shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lessened its stake in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 7.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 765 shares of the company’s stock after selling 63 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Chemed were worth $447,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Chicago Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Chemed during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,170,000. Raymond James & Associates raised its position in Chemed by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 67,918 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,715,000 after purchasing an additional 3,654 shares during the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its position in Chemed by 229.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 5,984 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,110,000 after purchasing an additional 4,166 shares during the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. bought a new position in Chemed in the 4th quarter valued at $2,325,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Chemed by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 97,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,585,000 after purchasing an additional 1,283 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Stock Performance

NYSE CHE opened at $616.51 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $622.33 and a 200-day moving average of $589.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.42. Chemed Co. has a 52 week low of $492.84 and a 52 week high of $654.62.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $6.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.25 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $585.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $586.64 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 32.29% and a net margin of 12.03%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.39 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Chemed Co. will post 21.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.93%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 2,000 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $641.65, for a total transaction of $1,283,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,320,654. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 2,000 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $641.65, for a total transaction of $1,283,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,320,654. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Brian C. Judkins sold 11,158 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $645.00, for a total value of $7,196,910.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $917,190. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,808 shares of company stock valued at $10,184,531. Company insiders own 3.32% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on CHE. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Chemed from $604.00 to $712.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Chemed from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th.

About Chemed

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.