Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Stock Position Increased by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 21.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,800 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,544 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Chemed were worth $5,282,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. American National Bank & Trust bought a new position in Chemed in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $61,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 60.5% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 138 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of Chemed by 721.7% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chemed during the third quarter valued at about $201,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Chemed by 2,314.3% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 338 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on CHE. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 30th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Chemed news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 101,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,270,755.95. The trade was a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director George J. Walsh III sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $597.47, for a total value of $238,988.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,046 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,819,893.62. The trade was a 11.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,132 shares of company stock worth $3,003,502 over the last ninety days. 3.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Chemed Price Performance

Shares of CHE opened at $517.44 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $562.73 and its 200-day moving average is $563.90. Chemed Co. has a 12-month low of $512.12 and a 12-month high of $654.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.46.

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

Chemed Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.11%.

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.