Chemed (NYSE:CHE) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Chemed (NYSE:CHE) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Friday.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on CHE. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Chemed from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Chemed from $604.00 to $712.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th.

Chemed Price Performance

Shares of CHE stock opened at $566.51 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.57 billion, a PE ratio of 30.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a 50-day moving average of $622.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $592.30. Chemed has a 1-year low of $492.84 and a 1-year high of $654.62.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.09 by ($0.41). The company had revenue of $589.23 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $587.18 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 12.36%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Chemed will post 21.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.28%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.61%.

Insider Transactions at Chemed

In related news, VP Brian C. Judkins sold 11,158 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $645.00, for a total value of $7,196,910.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $917,190. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Brian C. Judkins sold 11,158 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $645.00, for a total value of $7,196,910.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $917,190. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael D. Witzeman sold 2,650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $643.14, for a total transaction of $1,704,321.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,882 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,853,529.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,808 shares of company stock valued at $10,184,531. 3.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Chemed

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wealth Alliance raised its holdings in Chemed by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 578 shares of the company’s stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of Chemed by 0.5% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,034,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Chemed by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 2,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,330,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Chemed by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Chemed by 3.4% during the first quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 660 shares of the company’s stock worth $424,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

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.