HighTower Advisors LLC Grows Position in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 78.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,730 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,634 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in Chemed were worth $2,246,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CHE. Cetera Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Chemed during the 1st quarter valued at about $267,000. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Chemed by 18.5% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 397 shares of the company's stock valued at $215,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Everpar Advisors LLC raised its stake in Chemed by 4.9% in the second quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 580 shares of the company's stock worth $315,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in Chemed by 0.3% during the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 72,310 shares of the company's stock worth $39,234,000 after buying an additional 224 shares during the period. Finally, Consolidated Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Chemed during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,954,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.85% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,735 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $62,117,555.35. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 732 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $575.62, for a total value of $421,353.84. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 18,287 shares of the company's stock, 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 5,132 shares of company stock worth $3,003,502 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 3.32% of the company's stock.

Chemed Stock Performance

CHE traded down $6.20 during trading on Friday, hitting $547.00. The stock had a trading volume of 77,681 shares, compared to its average volume of 86,072. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $570.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $564.79. Chemed Co. has a twelve month low of $523.33 and a twelve month high of $654.62. The company has a market capitalization of $8.23 billion, a PE ratio of 27.64, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.46.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last announced 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 return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 12.69%. The business had revenue of $606.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $612.22 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.32 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 EPS for the current year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.37%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Chemed's payout ratio is currently 10.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on CHE. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com upgraded Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, November 30th.

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.