Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Shares Purchased by Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its holdings in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 36.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 40,898 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 11,020 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in Chemed were worth $21,668,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of CHE. EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 1.9% in the third quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $814,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Chemed by 4.1% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $394,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Creative Planning boosted its position in shares of Chemed by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $667,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Chemed by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Chemed Stock Down 1.1 %

NYSE:CHE opened at $553.24 on Thursday. Chemed Co. has a 52-week low of $512.12 and a 52-week high of $654.62. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $544.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $563.00. The company has a market capitalization of $8.33 billion, a PE ratio of 27.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.47.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $5.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.76 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $606.18 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $612.22 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 12.69%. The business’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.32 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Chemed news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.77, for a total transaction of $1,145,540.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 101,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $58,270,755.95. This trade represents a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Brian C. Judkins purchased 145 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $519.50 per share, with a total value of $75,327.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president now owns 1,678 shares of the company’s stock, 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. 3.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.