Van Berkom & Associates Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Van Berkom & Associates Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 128,469 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,214 shares during the quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. owned approximately 0.85% of Chemed worth $68,063,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 52 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new position in shares of Chemed during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Chemed by 2,057.1% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in Chemed by 2,314.3% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 338 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Brian C. Judkins purchased 145 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $519.50 per share, for a total transaction of $75,327.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president now directly owns 1,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $871,721. The trade was a 9.46 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 732 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 18,287 shares in the company, valued at $10,526,362.94. This represents a 3.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.32% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CHE has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 30th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th.

Chemed Stock Performance

Shares of CHE stock opened at $550.19 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.48. Chemed Co. has a one year low of $512.12 and a one year high of $654.62. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $542.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $563.96.

Chemed Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.36%. Chemed’s payout ratio is 10.11%.

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.