Nordea Investment Management AB Boosts Stock Holdings in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,639 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 635 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB’s holdings in Chemed were worth $7,242,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Chemed by 1.9% in the third quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $814,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Chemed by 4.1% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $394,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its position in shares of Chemed by 2.8% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $667,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. First Heartland Consultants Inc. lifted its holdings in Chemed by 7.2% in the third quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock worth $305,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. boosted its position in Chemed by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $533,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CHE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 30th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 5th.

Insider Transactions at Chemed

In other Chemed news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 732 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.62, for a total value of $421,353.84. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 18,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,526,362.94. The trade was a 3.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian C. Judkins purchased 145 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $519.50 per share, for a total transaction of $75,327.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president now owns 1,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $871,721. The trade was a 9.46 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 3.32% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:CHE opened at $531.71 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $545.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $562.75. 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 $8.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.87, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.47.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $5.64 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.76 by ($0.12). The firm 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%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.32 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 EPS for the current year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Chemed’s payout ratio is 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.