Laurus Investment Counsel Inc. Reduces Holdings in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Laurus Investment Counsel Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,760 shares of the company’s stock after selling 210 shares during the period. Chemed accounts for 1.3% of Laurus Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Laurus Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Chemed were worth $2,783,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH lifted its holdings in Chemed by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 31,138 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,208,000 after purchasing an additional 1,320 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Chemed by 46.0% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,665 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,558,000 after purchasing an additional 840 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Chemed by 55.8% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 2,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,349,000 after purchasing an additional 827 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in Chemed by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 67,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,715,000 after purchasing an additional 3,654 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lifted its holdings in Chemed by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 2,145 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,254,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on CHE shares. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Chemed from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Chemed from $604.00 to $712.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Michael D. Witzeman sold 2,650 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $643.14, for a total value 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 $1,853,529.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Brian C. Judkins sold 11,158 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,422 shares in the company, valued at $917,190. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Michael D. Witzeman sold 2,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $643.14, for a total value of $1,704,321.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,882 shares in the company, valued at $1,853,529.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 4.03% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of Chemed stock opened at $643.65 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.73 billion, a PE ratio of 35.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $612.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $575.29. Chemed Co. has a 12 month low of $492.84 and a 12 month high of $654.62.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $6.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.25 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $585.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $586.64 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 32.29% and a net margin of 12.03%. The business’s revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.39 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Chemed Co. will post 21.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. Chemed’s payout ratio is 8.93%.

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.