Raymond James Financial Inc. Makes New $42.02 Million Investment in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 79,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,023,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned about 0.53% of Chemed as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of CHE. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Chemed by 23.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 238,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,401,000 after buying an additional 45,917 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Chemed by 114.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 74,658 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,554,000 after purchasing an additional 39,791 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in shares of Chemed by 25.3% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 146,017 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,752,000 after purchasing an additional 29,445 shares during the last quarter. Aureus Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Chemed by 3,147.2% in the 3rd quarter. Aureus Asset Management LLC now owns 29,939 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,993,000 after purchasing an additional 29,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Chemed by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 242,172 shares of the company’s stock worth $128,303,000 after purchasing an additional 22,105 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Chemed

In related news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.67, for a total value of $1,187,340.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 102,679 shares in the company, valued at $60,957,441.93. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian C. Judkins bought 145 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $519.50 per share, for a total transaction of $75,327.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,678 shares in the company, valued at $871,721. This trade represents 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 owned by insiders.

Chemed Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE CHE opened at $588.73 on Thursday. Chemed Co. has a 12-month low of $512.12 and a 12-month high of $654.62. The company has a market cap of $8.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.43. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $556.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $564.27.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th.

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.