Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Short Interest Down 9.7% in November

Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 242,800 shares, a decrease of 9.7% from the November 15th total of 268,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 87,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days. Approximately 1.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insider Activity

In other Chemed news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 732 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.62, for a total transaction of $421,353.84. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 18,287 shares in the company, valued at $10,526,362.94. The trade was a 3.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $598.81, for a total transaction of $1,197,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 103,735 shares of the company's stock, valued at $62,117,555.35. This trade represents a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,132 shares of company stock worth $3,003,502. 3.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chemed

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CHE. Cetera Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chemed in the 1st quarter valued at $267,000. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in shares of Chemed by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 72,310 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,234,000 after buying an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Consolidated Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chemed in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,954,000. Summit Global Investments raised its stake in shares of Chemed by 38.7% during the 2nd quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 552 shares of the company's stock worth $300,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Chemed by 190.9% during the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 5,336 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,895,000 after acquiring an additional 3,502 shares during the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, November 30th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th.

Chemed Trading Down 2.8 %

Shares of Chemed stock traded down $15.22 on Tuesday, hitting $524.90. 137,044 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 86,385. Chemed has a 52 week low of $523.33 and a 52 week high of $654.62. The company has a market cap of $7.90 billion, a PE ratio of 26.53, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.46. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $569.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $564.90.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $606.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $612.22 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 12.69%. Chemed's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.32 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Chemed will post 21.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.38%. Chemed's dividend payout ratio is presently 10.11%.

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.

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