AlphaCentric Advisors LLC Invests $520,000 in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

AlphaCentric Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 982 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $520,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Chemed by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 485 shares of the company's stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its stake in shares of Chemed by 57.3% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,932 shares of the company's stock worth $1,161,000 after purchasing an additional 704 shares during the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group purchased a new stake in shares of Chemed in the third quarter valued at about $274,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Chemed by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,875 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,127,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in Chemed by 4.1% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 75,303 shares of the company's stock worth $45,255,000 after acquiring an additional 2,993 shares during the period. 95.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CHE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, November 30th.

Chemed Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of CHE traded down $5.45 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $550.19. The company had a trading volume of 107,906 shares, compared to its average volume of 88,718. The stock has a market cap of $8.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $542.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $563.96. Chemed Co. has a fifty-two week low of $512.12 and a fifty-two week high of $654.62.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.36%. Chemed's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.11%.

Insider Transactions at Chemed

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

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.