AlphaCentric Advisors LLC Purchases New Shares in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

AlphaCentric Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $520,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Chemed by 1.9% during the third quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $814,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its position in Chemed by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 655 shares of the company’s stock worth $394,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. lifted its holdings in Chemed by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock worth $305,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. boosted its position in Chemed by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $533,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its position in Chemed by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 378 shares of the company’s stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Stock Down 1.3 %

CHE stock opened at $553.10 on Monday. Chemed Co. has a twelve month low of $512.12 and a twelve month high of $654.62. The business’s fifty day moving average is $542.34 and its 200-day moving average is $564.65. The company has a market cap of $8.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.48.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.36%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.11%.

Insider Transactions at Chemed

In other Chemed news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 732 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.62, for a total value of $421,353.84. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 18,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,526,362.94. This represents a 3.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Brian C. Judkins purchased 145 shares of Chemed 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $871,721. This represents a 9.46 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.32% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CHE has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com raised Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 30th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report 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.