Natixis Advisors L.P. Trims Holdings in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Natixis Advisors L.P. lowered its holdings in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 24.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 58,006 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,134 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. owned approximately 0.39% of Chemed worth $33,917,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Chemed in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chemed during the third quarter valued at about $44,000. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in Chemed by 27.4% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 144 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in Chemed in the third quarter worth about $126,000. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated purchased a new stake in Chemed in the third quarter worth about $126,000. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Brian C. Judkins sold 11,158 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owns 1,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $917,190. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $641.65, for a total value of $1,283,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,320,654. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian C. Judkins sold 11,158 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $645.00, for a total transaction of $7,196,910.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,422 shares in the company, valued at $917,190. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,808 shares of company stock worth $10,184,531. 3.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Chemed from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Chemed from $604.00 to $712.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th.

Chemed Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of CHE stock opened at $561.65 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $8.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.46. Chemed Co. has a 12 month low of $492.84 and a 12 month high of $654.62. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $620.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $593.17.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.09 by ($0.41). The company had revenue of $589.23 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $587.18 million. Chemed had a net margin of 12.36% and a return on equity of 30.52%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Chemed Co. will post 21.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.28%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.