Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Shares Purchased by Bessemer Group Inc.

Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 16.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 832 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 116 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings in Chemed were worth $440,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Chemed in the fourth quarter valued at $42,023,000. Advisory Services Network LLC increased its holdings in Chemed by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 482 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its position in Chemed by 52.6% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 4,842 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,565,000 after purchasing an additional 1,668 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 182,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,500,000 after buying an additional 6,957 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Chemed by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 959 shares of the company’s stock worth $522,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on CHE. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Chemed from $633.00 to $667.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th.

Chemed Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of CHE opened at $588.27 on Wednesday. Chemed Co. has a 52-week low of $512.12 and a 52-week high of $623.61. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $584.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $567.87. The company has a market capitalization of $8.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.49.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Chemed news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $615.33, for a total transaction of $615,330.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 101,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,566,139.07. This trade represents a 0.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 3.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Chemed 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.