Short Interest in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Increases By 9.4%

Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 265,700 shares, a growth of 9.4% from the November 30th total of 242,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 96,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days. Approximately 1.8% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Chemed news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.77, for a total transaction of $1,145,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 101,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,270,755.95. This trade represents a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Brian C. Judkins acquired 145 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $519.50 per share, for a total transaction of $75,327.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president now directly 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. Company insiders own 3.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Chemed

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CHE. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Chemed by 300.3% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 116,572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,249,000 after purchasing an additional 87,449 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Chemed during the 3rd quarter valued at $437,150,000. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its stake in Chemed by 19.5% during the 2nd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 317,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,510,000 after purchasing an additional 51,974 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in Chemed by 23.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 238,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,401,000 after purchasing an additional 45,917 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its stake in Chemed by 22.1% during the 2nd quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 223,134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $121,068,000 after purchasing an additional 40,358 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE:CHE opened at $529.80 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $551.77 and a 200-day moving average of $562.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.46. Chemed has a twelve month low of $512.12 and a twelve month high of $654.62.

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 business’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.32 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Chemed will post 21.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.38%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on CHE shares. StockNews.com raised Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 30th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th.

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.