Van ECK Associates Corp Raises Stake in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 30.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 15,141 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,531 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Chemed were worth $8,022,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp grew its position in Chemed by 0.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 464,354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $279,063,000 after buying an additional 3,564 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Chemed by 4.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 335,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,820,000 after purchasing an additional 15,791 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its stake in Chemed by 4.7% during the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 332,757 shares of the company’s stock valued at $199,977,000 after purchasing an additional 14,814 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its stake in Chemed by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 242,172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,303,000 after purchasing an additional 22,105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Chemed by 23.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 238,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,401,000 after purchasing an additional 45,917 shares during the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 101,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,270,755.95. The trade was a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Brian C. Judkins purchased 145 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $519.50 per share, for a total transaction of $75,327.50. Following the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 3.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Chemed Trading Down 1.3 %

CHE opened at $553.10 on Tuesday. Chemed Co. has a 12-month low of $512.12 and a 12-month high of $654.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.32 billion, a PE ratio of 27.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $542.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $564.40.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.36%. Chemed’s payout ratio is 10.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on CHE shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 30th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th.

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.