Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Short Interest Up 15.4% in May

Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 350,100 shares, a growth of 15.4% from the May 15th total of 303,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 79,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.4 days. Approximately 2.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Chemed Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE:CHE opened at $538.66 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization 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 has a 1-year low of $492.84 and a 1-year high of $654.62. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $570.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $591.38.

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

Chemed Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.30%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio is 8.61%.

Insider Transactions at Chemed

In related news, Director Patrick P. Grace sold 284 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $540.98, for a total value of $153,638.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,769,004.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Chemed news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,760 shares in the company, valued at $13,320,654. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Patrick P. Grace sold 284 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $540.98, for a total transaction of $153,638.32. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,270 shares in the company, valued at $1,769,004.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,592 shares of company stock valued at $13,424,584 over the last 90 days. 3.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chemed

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Chemed in the 1st quarter worth $26,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Chemed in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Chemed during the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Chemed by 110.6% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 99 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in Chemed during the first quarter valued at approximately $67,000. 95.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Chemed from $712.00 to $697.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 21st. StockNews.com raised Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on Chemed from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th.

About Chemed

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.