Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Shares Sold by Amica Mutual Insurance Co.

Amica Mutual Insurance Co. lessened its holdings in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 27.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,571 shares of the company’s stock after selling 985 shares during the quarter. Amica Mutual Insurance Co.’s holdings in Chemed were worth $1,503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Chemed in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Chemed during the third quarter valued at $44,000. Legacy Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Chemed during the third quarter valued at $48,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Chemed by 27.4% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Chemed during the third quarter valued at $126,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Stock Up 1.1 %

Chemed stock traded up $6.09 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $566.51. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 92,512 shares, compared to its average volume of 80,207. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $623.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $591.87. Chemed Co. has a 12 month low of $492.84 and a 12 month high of $654.62. The company has a market capitalization of $8.57 billion, a PE ratio of 30.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.42.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.09 by ($0.41). Chemed had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 12.36%. The business had revenue of $589.23 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $587.18 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Chemed Co. will post 21.79 EPS for the current year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.28%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.61%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Brian C. Judkins sold 11,158 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $645.00, for a total value of $7,196,910.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $917,190. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, VP Brian C. Judkins sold 11,158 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $645.00, for a total value of $7,196,910.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $917,190. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 2,000 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $641.65, for a total value of $1,283,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,320,654. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 15,808 shares of company stock worth $10,184,531. 3.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Chemed from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com cut shares of Chemed from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Chemed from $604.00 to $712.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th.

Chemed 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.