Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Sells 25 Shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. trimmed its position in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 456 shares of the company’s stock after selling 25 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in Chemed were worth $242,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of CHE. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Chemed by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 52 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of Chemed during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Chemed by 64.7% in the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 56 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new stake in shares of Chemed in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Chemed by 77.3% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Chemed news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $615.33, for a total transaction of $615,330.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 101,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,566,139.07. This trade represents a 0.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 3.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Chemed from $667.00 to $674.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com raised shares of Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th.

Chemed Price Performance

CHE opened at $575.58 on Wednesday. Chemed Co. has a one year low of $512.12 and a one year high of $623.61. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $588.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $566.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.08, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.49.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $5.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.59 by $0.04. Chemed had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 12.69%. The company had revenue of $646.94 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $641.78 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.20 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. Chemed’s payout ratio is currently 9.74%.

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.