Van ECK Associates Corp Has $8.02 Million Stake in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 30.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,141 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,531 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned 0.10% of Chemed worth $8,022,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Chemed by 78.0% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,730 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,246,000 after buying an additional 1,634 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd raised its position in shares of Chemed by 111.5% in the third quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 2,843 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,709,000 after buying an additional 1,499 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Chemed by 4.9% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 335,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,820,000 after buying an additional 15,791 shares in the last quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Chemed by 60.7% in the fourth quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 4,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,647,000 after buying an additional 1,886 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Chemed by 8.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 122,788 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,792,000 after buying an additional 9,178 shares in the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on CHE shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 30th.

Chemed Price Performance

CHE opened at $553.10 on Tuesday. Chemed Co. has a fifty-two week low of $512.12 and a fifty-two week high of $654.62. The company’s 50-day moving average is $542.45 and its 200 day moving average is $564.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.32 billion, a PE ratio of 27.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.48.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.36%. Chemed’s payout ratio is 10.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Chemed news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 732 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 18,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,526,362.94. This trade represents a 3.85 % decrease in their position. 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 purchased 145 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $519.50 per share, for a total transaction of $75,327.50. Following the acquisition, the vice president now owns 1,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $871,721. The trade was a 9.46 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 3.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.