Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its position in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 30.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,867 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,547 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of Chemed worth $20,954,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Chemed by 78.0% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,730 shares of the company's stock worth $2,246,000 after purchasing an additional 1,634 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in Chemed by 110.0% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 10,638 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,801,000 after acquiring an additional 5,572 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd lifted its stake in Chemed by 111.5% in the third quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 2,843 shares of the company's stock worth $1,709,000 after acquiring an additional 1,499 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Chemed during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $7,812,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Chemed by 634.3% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,990 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,080,000 after purchasing an additional 1,719 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Chemed

In other Chemed news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.77, for a total transaction of $1,145,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 101,735 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $58,270,755.95. This trade represents a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 732 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $10,526,362.94. The trade was a 3.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Chemed Stock Up 0.5 %

CHE traded up $2.75 on Thursday, reaching $522.62. The company had a trading volume of 87,274 shares, compared to its average volume of 87,475. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $559.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $563.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.87 billion, a PE ratio of 26.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.46. Chemed Co. has a 1 year low of $512.12 and a 1 year high of $654.62.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 27.86%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.32 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, November 30th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th.

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.