Wells Fargo & Company MN Boosts Stock Position in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 142,238 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,173 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN owned 0.94% of Chemed worth $83,173,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CHE. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Chemed during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chemed in the third quarter valued at $44,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Chemed in the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 110.6% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Chemed by 27.4% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Chemed from $712.00 to $697.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. StockNews.com upgraded Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Chemed from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Brian C. Judkins sold 11,158 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $645.00, for a total value of $7,196,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $917,190. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 2,000 shares of Chemed 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 in the company, valued at approximately $13,320,654. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian C. Judkins sold 11,158 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $645.00, for a total value of $7,196,910.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $917,190. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 19,808 shares of company stock valued at $12,454,691 over the last three months. 3.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Chemed Price Performance

Chemed stock opened at $554.84 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $8.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $602.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $595.21. Chemed Co. has a 1 year low of $492.84 and a 1 year high of $654.62.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.09 by ($0.41). The firm had revenue of $589.23 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $587.18 million. Chemed had a net margin of 12.36% and a return on equity of 30.52%. Research analysts expect that Chemed Co. will post 21.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 30th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.29%. Chemed’s payout ratio is currently 8.61%.

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.