Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Short Interest Update

Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 242,800 shares, a drop of 9.7% from the November 15th total of 268,900 shares. Currently, 1.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 87,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chemed

In other Chemed news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $598.81, for a total value of $1,197,620.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director George J. Walsh III sold 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $597.47, for a total value of $238,988.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,046 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,819,893.62. This represents a 11.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 5,132 shares of company stock valued at $3,003,502. Company insiders own 3.32% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chemed

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHE. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Chemed in the 3rd quarter worth about $61,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Chemed by 60.5% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 138 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Chemed by 721.7% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Chemed during the 3rd quarter valued at about $201,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in Chemed by 2,314.3% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $203,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Chemed Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:CHE traded down $15.22 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $524.90. 137,044 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 86,385. Chemed has a 12 month low of $523.33 and a 12 month high of $654.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.46. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $569.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $564.90.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $5.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.76 by ($0.12). Chemed had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 27.86%. The company had revenue of $606.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $612.22 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Chemed will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $0.50 dividend. 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 is currently 10.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com upgraded Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 30th.

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.