Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) Shares Sold by William Blair Investment Management LLC

William Blair Investment Management LLC reduced its holdings in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 473,523 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,259 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned approximately 3.15% of Chemed worth $250,872,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Chemed by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 52 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in Chemed in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Chemed by 64.7% during the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 56 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new position in Chemed during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 77.3% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. 95.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Chemed Price Performance

Chemed stock opened at $598.15 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $560.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $564.74. The company has a market cap of $8.76 billion, a PE ratio of 30.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.43. Chemed Co. has a 12 month low of $512.12 and a 12 month high of $654.62.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.33%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Chemed’s payout ratio is currently 10.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 102,679 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Brian C. Judkins acquired 145 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $519.50 per share, with a total value of $75,327.50. Following the acquisition, the vice president now directly owns 1,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $871,721. This trade 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

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

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.