Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) is Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s 7th Largest Position

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,017 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the quarter. Chemed accounts for about 0.8% of Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Chemed were worth $4,103,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Chemed in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Legacy Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Chemed during the third quarter valued at $48,000. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Chemed by 27.4% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in Chemed during the third quarter valued at $126,000. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated bought a new position in Chemed during the third quarter valued at $126,000. 95.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Chemed Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE CHE traded up $10.61 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $615.03. 58,309 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 77,228. The company has a market capitalization of $9.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.42. Chemed Co. has a 52-week low of $492.84 and a 52-week high of $654.62. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $622.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $589.76.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $6.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.25 by $0.35. Chemed had a net margin of 12.03% and a return on equity of 32.29%. The company had revenue of $585.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $586.64 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.39 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Chemed Co. will post 21.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.93%.

Insider Activity

In other Chemed news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $641.65, for a total transaction of $1,283,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,320,654. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Chemed news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $641.65, for a total transaction of $1,283,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,320,654. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Michael D. Witzeman sold 2,650 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $643.14, for a total transaction of $1,704,321.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,853,529.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,808 shares of company stock valued at $10,184,531. Corporate insiders own 3.32% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on CHE. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Chemed from $604.00 to $712.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Chemed from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th.

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.