AlphaQuest LLC Trims Stake in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

AlphaQuest LLC lowered its stake in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 85.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 291 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,672 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in Chemed were worth $154,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CHE. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Chemed by 11.5% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 378 shares of the company's stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in shares of Chemed by 25.3% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 146,017 shares of the company's stock worth $87,752,000 after purchasing an additional 29,445 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Chemed by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 3,694 shares of the company's stock worth $2,220,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in shares of Chemed during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $310,000. Finally, Commerce Bank increased its stake in shares of Chemed by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 6,207 shares of the company's stock worth $3,730,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.85% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Brian C. Judkins acquired 145 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $519.50 per share, for a total transaction of $75,327.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at $871,721. The trade was a 9.46 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.67, for a total transaction of $1,187,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 102,679 shares in the company, valued at $60,957,441.93. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.32% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CHE. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Chemed from $633.00 to $667.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th.

Chemed Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of CHE traded down $7.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $594.41. 355,669 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 88,890. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $566.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $565.60. The company has a market cap of $8.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.43. Chemed Co. has a 1 year low of $512.12 and a 1 year high of $648.75.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.34%. Chemed's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.05%.

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.