National Bank of Canada FI Buys Shares of 2,489 Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

National Bank of Canada FI bought a new stake in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 2,489 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,496,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Chemed by 1.9% during the third quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the company's stock valued at $814,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its holdings in Chemed by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 655 shares of the company's stock valued at $394,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Creative Planning raised its position in Chemed by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,228 shares of the company's stock valued at $667,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. raised its position in Chemed by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 508 shares of the company's stock valued at $305,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. lifted its holdings in Chemed by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 887 shares of the company's stock worth $533,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, November 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of 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 1.1 %

Shares of CHE stock traded down $6.20 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $547.00. 77,681 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 86,072. The firm has a market cap of $8.23 billion, a PE ratio of 27.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.46. The company's 50 day moving average is $570.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $564.96. Chemed Co. has a 1 year low of $523.33 and a 1 year high of $654.62.

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

Chemed Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director George J. Walsh III sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $597.47, for a total value of $238,988.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,046 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,819,893.62. This represents a 11.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 18,287 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,526,362.94. This represents a 3.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,132 shares of company stock worth $3,003,502. 3.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.