West Coast Financial LLC Lowers Position in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

West Coast Financial LLC lessened its stake in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 33.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,983 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,015 shares during the period. West Coast Financial LLC’s holdings in Chemed were worth $1,051,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Chemed by 1.9% in the third quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $814,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Chemed by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $394,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its stake in Chemed by 2.8% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $667,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $305,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 4.5% during the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chemed

In other Chemed news, VP Brian C. Judkins purchased 145 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $519.50 per share, with a total value of $75,327.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $871,721. This trade represents a 9.46 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.77, for a total transaction of $1,145,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 101,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,270,755.95. The trade was a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.32% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Trading Up 2.2 %

Chemed stock opened at $546.07 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $8.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.59, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.47. Chemed Co. has a 12 month low of $512.12 and a 12 month high of $654.62. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $545.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $562.45.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $5.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.76 by ($0.12). Chemed had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 12.69%. The business had revenue of $606.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $612.22 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.32 EPS. Chemed’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.37%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on CHE. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com raised Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 30th.

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.