Signaturefd LLC Trims Position in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Signaturefd LLC trimmed its position in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 26.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 333 shares of the company’s stock after selling 121 shares during the quarter. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Chemed were worth $176,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Chemed by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 52 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of Chemed during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Chemed by 64.7% during the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 56 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new position in Chemed during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its position in Chemed by 77.3% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on CHE. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Chemed from $633.00 to $667.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.67, for a total value of $1,187,340.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 102,679 shares in the company, valued at $60,957,441.93. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Brian C. Judkins purchased 145 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $519.50 per share, for a total transaction of $75,327.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $871,721. The trade was a 9.46 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 3.32% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of CHE opened at $594.41 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $567.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $565.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.04, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.43. Chemed Co. has a twelve month low of $512.12 and a twelve month high of $648.29.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.34%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.05%.

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.