Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) EVP Spencer S. Lee Sells 1,500 Shares

Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $577.99, for a total transaction of $866,985.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,627 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,454,259.73. This trade represents a 9.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Chemed Stock Performance

CHE traded up $0.25 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $580.11. The company had a trading volume of 19,972 shares, compared to its average volume of 117,674. Chemed Co. has a twelve month low of $512.12 and a twelve month high of $623.60. The company has a market capitalization of $8.49 billion, a PE ratio of 29.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $586.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $564.37.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Chemed from $667.00 to $674.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com upgraded Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chemed

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Chemed by 72.5% in the 4th quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $445,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new position in Chemed during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Smith Salley Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Chemed by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management now owns 16,988 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,000,000 after acquiring an additional 307 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Chemed by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 52 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its position in Chemed by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 704 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.