Barclays PLC Purchases 1,983 Shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 20.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,778 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,983 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.08% of Chemed worth $6,240,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of CHE. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Chemed by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 52 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of Chemed during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Chemed by 64.7% during the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 56 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new stake in Chemed in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Chemed by 77.3% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Chemed

In other Chemed news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $615.33, for a total transaction of $615,330.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 101,679 shares in the company, valued at $62,566,139.07. This represents a 0.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

Chemed Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of Chemed stock traded up $9.58 on Monday, reaching $565.32. 115,588 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 98,797. The company has a market capitalization of $8.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.57, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.49. Chemed Co. has a one year low of $512.12 and a one year high of $623.61. The company has a 50-day moving average of $587.66 and a 200 day moving average of $566.73.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $5.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.59 by $0.04. Chemed had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 12.69%. The firm had revenue of $646.94 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $641.78 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.20 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Chemed's payout ratio is 9.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on CHE shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Chemed from $667.00 to $674.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday. StockNews.com upgraded Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

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.