Kestra Investment Management LLC Purchases Shares of 998 Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $600,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CHE. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Chemed by 422.9% during the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 7,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,097,000 after acquiring an additional 6,107 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Chemed by 292.7% during the 2nd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $673,000 after purchasing an additional 925 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in Chemed by 110.0% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 10,638 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,801,000 after buying an additional 5,572 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Chemed in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $7,812,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Chemed by 634.3% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,990 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,080,000 after buying an additional 1,719 shares during the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Chemed Stock Performance

Shares of Chemed stock opened at $572.39 on Monday. Chemed Co. has a twelve month low of $523.33 and a twelve month high of $654.62. The firm has a market cap of $8.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.46. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $578.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $565.05.

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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $612.22 million. Chemed had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 27.86%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.32 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.35%. Chemed’s payout ratio is presently 10.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective 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 report on Saturday.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Nicholas Michael Westfall sold 1,713 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.35, for a total transaction of $975,296.55. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,109 shares in the company, valued at $3,478,159.15. This represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $598.81, for a total value of $1,197,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 103,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,117,555.35. The trade was a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,845 shares of company stock worth $3,978,798. Corporate insiders own 3.32% of the company’s stock.

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.