Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Short Interest Update

Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 235,100 shares, a drop of 18.8% from the March 15th total of 289,400 shares. Currently, 1.6% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 114,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Chemed from $633.00 to $667.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chemed

In related news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $615.33, for a total value of $615,330.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 101,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,566,139.07. This trade represents a 0.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.32% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Chemed

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Chemed by 54.5% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 51 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Impact Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Impact Capital Partners LLC now owns 763 shares of the company's stock worth $469,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the company's stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 64.7% in the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 56 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 185 shares of the company's stock worth $98,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Chemed Price Performance

Shares of CHE stock traded down $21.67 on Thursday, hitting $563.79. 36,177 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 98,310. The firm has a market cap of $8.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.18, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.49. Chemed has a 52 week low of $512.12 and a 52 week high of $623.61. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $587.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $567.54.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.35%. Chemed's payout ratio is 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.