Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE – Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 265,700 shares, an increase of 9.4% from the November 30th total of 242,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 96,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days. Approximately 1.8% of the shares of the company are short sold.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities analysts have commented on CHE shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company 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.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Chemed
Insider Activity at Chemed
Institutional Trading of Chemed
Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Chemed in the third quarter valued at $61,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Chemed by 60.5% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 138 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its holdings in Chemed by 721.7% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Chemed in the third quarter valued at about $201,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Chemed by 2,314.3% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 338 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,000 after buying an additional 324 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.85% of the company’s stock.
Chemed Trading Up 0.4 %
CHE stock traded up $1.97 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $529.80. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 96,008 shares, compared to its average volume of 87,435. The company’s 50 day moving average is $553.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $563.18. Chemed has a fifty-two week low of $512.12 and a fifty-two week high of $654.62. The stock has a market cap of $7.97 billion, a PE ratio of 26.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.46.
Chemed (NYSE:CHE – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $5.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.76 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $606.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $612.22 million. Chemed had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 27.86%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $5.32 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Chemed will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Chemed Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.38%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.11%.
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.
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