Chemed (NYSE:CHE) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

CHE has been the subject of several other reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Chemed from $604.00 to $712.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Chemed from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th.

Chemed Price Performance

CHE stock opened at $561.65 on Friday. Chemed has a 1-year low of $492.84 and a 1-year high of $654.62. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $620.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $592.67. The company has a market capitalization of $8.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.23, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.46.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.09 by ($0.41). Chemed had a net margin of 12.36% and a return on equity of 30.52%. The business had revenue of $589.23 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $587.18 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Chemed will post 21.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $641.65, for a total value of $1,283,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,320,654. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $641.65, for a total value of $1,283,300.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,320,654. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael D. Witzeman sold 2,650 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $643.14, for a total value of $1,704,321.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,853,529.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,808 shares of company stock worth $10,184,531 in the last ninety days. 3.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Chemed

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Chemed by 124.2% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 352 shares of the company’s stock valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S purchased a new stake in Chemed in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,064,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in shares of Chemed during the 1st quarter worth approximately $442,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in shares of Chemed by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 11,063 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,102,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in Chemed by 69.8% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 27,238 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,485,000 after buying an additional 11,201 shares in the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.