Crawford Fund Management LLC Takes $4.30 Million Position in Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE)

Crawford Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chemed Co. (NYSE:CHE) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 7,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,297,000. Chemed accounts for about 0.9% of Crawford Fund Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CHE. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Chemed by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 45,920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,597,000 after acquiring an additional 3,314 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Chemed in the 3rd quarter valued at $4,115,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Chemed by 36.2% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 26,381 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,854,000 after acquiring an additional 7,007 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Chemed by 23.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 238,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,401,000 after acquiring an additional 45,917 shares during the period. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its position in shares of Chemed by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 29,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,523,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on CHE shares. StockNews.com downgraded Chemed from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Chemed from $697.00 to $633.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Nicholas Michael Westfall sold 1,713 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.35, for a total transaction of $975,296.55. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,109 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,478,159.15. This trade represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $598.81, for a total transaction of $1,197,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,735 shares in the company, valued at $62,117,555.35. The trade was a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 6,113 shares of company stock valued at $3,557,445 in the last ninety days. 3.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Chemed Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of Chemed stock opened at $571.31 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.60 billion, a PE ratio of 28.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.46. Chemed Co. has a twelve month low of $523.33 and a twelve month high of $654.62. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $578.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $565.02.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $5.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.76 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $606.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $612.22 million. Chemed had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 27.86%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.32 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Chemed Co. will post 21.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.11%.

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.