Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Sells 3,811 Shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lowered its position in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 37.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 6,488 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,811 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in Chemed were worth $3,437,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CHE. Norges Bank bought a new position in Chemed in the fourth quarter worth approximately $95,872,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in Chemed in the fourth quarter worth approximately $61,664,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Chemed in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,023,000. Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Chemed by 197.4% in the fourth quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 77,143 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,870,000 after acquiring an additional 51,206 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Chemed by 18.9% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 283,790 shares of the company’s stock worth $150,352,000 after acquiring an additional 45,174 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chemed

In related news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 1,500 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $577.86, for a total transaction of $866,790.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,319,148.22. This trade represents a 8.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,000 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $615.33, for a total value of $615,330.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 101,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,566,139.07. This represents a 0.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $3,534,135. Company insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Chemed stock opened at $555.57 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $8.13 billion, a PE ratio of 28.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.59. Chemed Co. has a 52 week low of $512.12 and a 52 week high of $623.61. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $587.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $564.51.

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

Chemed Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on CHE. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Chemed from $667.00 to $674.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com raised Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

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.