ING Groep NV Buys 2,200 Shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

ING Groep NV increased its stake in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 129.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,900 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares during the period. ING Groep NV's holdings in Chemed were worth $2,344,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CHE. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Chemed by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 378 shares of the company's stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in Chemed by 0.7% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 13,277 shares of the company's stock worth $7,979,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Chemed by 14.8% during the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 33,368 shares of the company's stock worth $20,053,000 after acquiring an additional 4,291 shares in the last quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. grew its stake in Chemed by 7.2% in the third quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 508 shares of the company's stock valued at $305,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Chemed in the third quarter worth about $300,000. Institutional investors own 95.85% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $598.81, for a total value of $1,197,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,735 shares in the company, valued at $62,117,555.35. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director George J. Walsh III sold 200 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $577.95, for a total value of $115,590.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,446 shares in the company, valued at $1,991,615.70. The trade was a 5.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,313 shares of company stock worth $2,527,495. Insiders own 3.32% of the company's stock.

Chemed Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE CHE traded down $4.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $557.95. 87,894 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 104,873. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $580.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $565.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.46. Chemed Co. has a twelve month low of $523.33 and a twelve month high of $654.62.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last announced 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $612.22 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 12.69%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $5.32 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 EPS for the current year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Chemed's payout ratio is 10.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 5th.

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.