Chemed Corporation (CHE) – What Are Brokerages Saying About This Stock?

Shares of Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $603.00.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on CHE shares. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Chemed from $590.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Chemed from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Chemed in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Chemed from $548.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Chemed from $650.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th.

Insider Transactions at Chemed

In related news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $537.90, for a total value of $1,075,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 82,220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,226,138. The trade was a 2.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $541.04, for a total value of $541,040.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,526,948.48. This trade represents a 6.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 9,920 shares of company stock worth $5,223,056 in the last three months. Insiders own 3.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chemed

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Chemed in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $691,290,000. Boston Partners increased its holdings in Chemed by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 376,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $190,416,000 after acquiring an additional 96,311 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Chemed in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $169,434,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Chemed by 24.7% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 236,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,295,000 after purchasing an additional 46,791 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Chemed by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 147,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,889,000 after purchasing an additional 10,406 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Stock Up 1.2%

CHE stock opened at $550.84 on Friday. Chemed has a fifty-two week low of $365.20 and a fifty-two week high of $562.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.36, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.50. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $515.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $466.52.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $6.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.44 by $0.31. Chemed had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 35.18%. The business had revenue of $690.94 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $685.04 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.27 earnings per share. Chemed’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Chemed will post 24.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio is 13.40%.

About Chemed

Chemed Corporation is a U.S.-based company operating through two principal businesses: VITAS Healthcare, which provides hospice and palliative care, and Roto-Rooter, which offers plumbing, drain-cleaning and water-restoration services. VITAS serves patients with serious illnesses through home-based care and services in hospice facilities and other care settings. Roto-Rooter serves residential and commercial customers with plumbing and drain services, as well as cleanup and restoration following water damage.