Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Shares Bought by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 122,788 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,178 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.82% of Chemed worth $73,792,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in Chemed by 300.3% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 116,572 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,249,000 after acquiring an additional 87,449 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chemed in the third quarter valued at approximately $437,150,000. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its position in Chemed by 19.5% during the second quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 317,943 shares of the company's stock worth $172,510,000 after buying an additional 51,974 shares in the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. boosted its stake in Chemed by 22.1% during the second quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 223,134 shares of the company's stock worth $121,068,000 after buying an additional 40,358 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its holdings in Chemed by 34.5% in the 1st quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 154,579 shares of the company's stock valued at $98,516,000 after buying an additional 39,633 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.85% of the company's stock.

Chemed Stock Performance

Shares of CHE traded up $1.80 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $573.11. 45,670 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 85,970. Chemed Co. has a 52-week low of $523.33 and a 52-week high of $654.62. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $578.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $565.06. The firm has a market cap of $8.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.46.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $5.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.76 by ($0.12). Chemed had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 27.86%. The firm had revenue of $606.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $612.22 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.32 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.35%. Chemed's dividend payout ratio is presently 10.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Nicholas Michael Westfall sold 1,713 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.35, for a total value of $975,296.55. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,109 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,478,159.15. This trade represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 732 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.62, for a total value of $421,353.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 18,287 shares in the company, valued at $10,526,362.94. This trade represents a 3.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 6,845 shares of company stock worth $3,978,798 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 3.32% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CHE has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Chemed from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd.

Chemed 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.