BNP Paribas Financial Markets Buys 7,007 Shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 36.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,381 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,007 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 0.18% of Chemed worth $15,854,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Chemed by 300.3% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 116,572 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,249,000 after acquiring an additional 87,449 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chemed during the third quarter worth approximately $437,150,000. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its position in shares of Chemed by 19.5% during the 2nd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 317,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,510,000 after acquiring an additional 51,974 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Chemed by 23.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 238,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,401,000 after purchasing an additional 45,917 shares during the period. Finally, Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Chemed by 22.1% in the 2nd quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 223,134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $121,068,000 after purchasing an additional 40,358 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chemed

In other Chemed news, EVP Nicholas Michael Westfall sold 1,713 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.35, for a total value of $975,296.55. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,109 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,478,159.15. This trade represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 732 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.62, for a total value of $421,353.84. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 18,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,526,362.94. This trade represents a 3.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,845 shares of company stock valued at $3,978,798. 3.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Chemed Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of CHE stock opened at $572.39 on Friday. Chemed Co. has a 12-month low of $523.33 and a 12-month high of $654.62. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $578.27 and a 200-day moving average of $565.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.46.

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

Chemed Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.35%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.11%.

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.