Russell Investments Group Ltd. Increases Holdings in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 40.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,127 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 6,084 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.14% of Chemed worth $11,193,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Chemed during the fourth quarter valued at $95,872,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Chemed during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,023,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 114.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 74,658 shares of the company's stock worth $39,554,000 after buying an additional 39,791 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new stake in Chemed during the fourth quarter valued at $12,880,000. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 242,172 shares of the company's stock valued at $128,303,000 after purchasing an additional 22,105 shares during the period. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.67, for a total transaction of $1,187,340.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 102,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,957,441.93. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.32% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Chemed Trading Down 1.6 %

NYSE CHE traded down $9.68 on Tuesday, reaching $591.01. 64,680 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 97,194. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $583.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $567.73. Chemed Co. has a one year low of $512.12 and a one year high of $625.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.64 billion, a PE ratio of 29.86, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.49.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.34%. Chemed's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Chemed from $633.00 to $667.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note 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.

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.