1,048 Shares in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Purchased by Virtu Financial LLC

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,048 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $612,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Chemed during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Chemed during the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Chemed by 110.6% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of Chemed by 27.4% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Chemed by 86.9% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Brian C. Judkins sold 11,158 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $645.00, for a total value of $7,196,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $917,190. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Chemed news, CFO Michael D. Witzeman sold 2,650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $643.14, for a total transaction of $1,704,321.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 2,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,853,529.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Brian C. Judkins sold 11,158 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $645.00, for a total value of $7,196,910.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $917,190. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 21,592 shares of company stock valued at $13,424,584. 3.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 4th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Chemed from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Chemed from $712.00 to $697.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 21st.

Chemed Stock Performance

NYSE CHE opened at $538.66 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $570.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $591.38. Chemed Co. has a 52-week low of $492.84 and a 52-week high of $654.62. The stock has a market cap of $8.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.99, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.46.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.09 by ($0.41). The business had revenue of $589.23 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $587.18 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 12.36%. On average, analysts predict that Chemed Co. will post 21.54 EPS for the current year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.30%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 30th. Chemed’s payout ratio is presently 8.61%.

Chemed Company 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.