Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Announces $0.50 Quarterly Dividend

Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) announced a quarterly dividend on Friday, February 14th, RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a dividend of 0.50 per share on Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.37%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th.

Chemed has raised its dividend by an average of 8.7% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 16 years. Chemed has a dividend payout ratio of 7.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Chemed to earn $23.30 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.00 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 8.6%.

Chemed Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of CHE stock opened at $544.75 on Friday. Chemed has a 12 month low of $512.12 and a 12 month high of $654.62. The stock has a market cap of $8.20 billion, a PE ratio of 27.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.48. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $542.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $563.80.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHE has been the topic of a number of research reports. 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 dropped their price target on shares of Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 732 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 18,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,526,362.94. This trade represents a 3.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Brian C. Judkins acquired 145 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $519.50 per share, for a total transaction of $75,327.50. Following the acquisition, the vice president now owns 1,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $871,721. The trade was a 9.46 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 3.32% of the company’s stock.

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.