Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Has $91.63 Million Stock Holdings in Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) by 9.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 148,920 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,738 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 1.02% of Chemed worth $91,633,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of CHE. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Chemed by 131,200.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 166,752 shares of the company’s stock worth $102,606,000 after purchasing an additional 166,625 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in Chemed during the 4th quarter worth approximately $61,664,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Chemed during the 4th quarter worth approximately $54,587,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Chemed during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,023,000. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Chemed by 197.4% during the 4th quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 77,143 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,870,000 after purchasing an additional 51,206 shares in the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chemed

In other Chemed news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $577.99, for a total transaction of $866,985.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,627 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,454,259.73. This trade represents a 9.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Nicholas Michael Westfall sold 10,012 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $421.91, for a total value of $4,224,162.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Trading Up 2.4%

NYSE CHE opened at $442.41 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $6.45 billion, a PE ratio of 22.75, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.46. Chemed Corporation has a 12 month low of $408.42 and a 12 month high of $623.60. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $489.28 and a 200-day moving average of $546.89.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $4.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.02 by ($1.75). The company had revenue of $618.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $650.60 million. Chemed had a net margin of 11.56% and a return on equity of 25.83%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.47 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Chemed Corporation will post 21.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is a positive change from Chemed’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Chemed’s payout ratio is 12.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on CHE. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Chemed from $640.00 to $589.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Chemed from $708.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Chemed from $650.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Chemed in a research note on Friday, July 25th. They set a “hold” rating and a $500.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Chemed from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $579.75.

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.