Smith Salley Wealth Management Increases Stake in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Smith Salley Wealth Management grew its position in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 16,988 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 307 shares during the period. Smith Salley Wealth Management’s holdings in Chemed were worth $9,000,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in Chemed by 300.3% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 116,572 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,249,000 after acquiring an additional 87,449 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chemed in the 3rd quarter worth $437,150,000. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Chemed by 23.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 238,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,401,000 after purchasing an additional 45,917 shares during the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Chemed by 22.1% during the second quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 223,134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $121,068,000 after purchasing an additional 40,358 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aureus Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Chemed by 3,147.2% during the third quarter. Aureus Asset Management LLC now owns 29,939 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,993,000 after buying an additional 29,017 shares during the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Chemed

In related news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.77, for a total transaction of $1,145,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 101,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,270,755.95. This trade represents a 1.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 732 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.62, for a total transaction of $421,353.84. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Chemed Stock Performance

Chemed stock opened at $555.01 on Friday. Chemed Co. has a one year low of $512.12 and a one year high of $654.62. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $545.31 and a 200 day moving average of $562.65. The stock has a market cap of $8.35 billion, a PE ratio of 28.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.47.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $5.64 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.76 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $606.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $612.22 million. Chemed had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 27.86%. Chemed’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.32 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.11%.

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.