Chemed Co. Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.50 (NYSE:CHE)

Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, February 14th,RTT News reports. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a dividend of 0.50 per share on Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.36%.

Chemed has raised its dividend by an average of 8.7% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 16 years. Chemed has a payout ratio of 7.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Chemed to earn $23.30 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.00 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 8.6%.

Chemed Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:CHE traded up $1.68 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $555.27. 6,452 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 85,250. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.48. The business's 50-day moving average price is $542.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $564.40. Chemed has a 1 year low of $512.12 and a 1 year high of $654.62.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, November 30th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.