Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $574.25.

Several analysts have issued reports on CHE shares. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Chemed from $650.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America reduced their target price on Chemed from $610.00 to $595.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $490.00 to $550.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Chemed in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Chemed from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Chemed news, Director Patrick P. Grace sold 150 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $463.39, for a total transaction of $69,508.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,397 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,574,135.83. This represents a 4.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $461.28, for a total value of $1,383,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,197 shares in the company, valued at $44,373,752.16. This trade represents a 3.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 5,150 shares of company stock valued at $2,328,449. Company insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Chemed

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Chemed by 71.4% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 60 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Chemed during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Chemed during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Chemed in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chemed during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE CHE opened at $441.09 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.43. Chemed has a 52 week low of $408.42 and a 52 week high of $623.60. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $441.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $475.74.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $5.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.39 by ($0.12). Chemed had a return on equity of 25.89% and a net margin of 11.02%.The firm had revenue of $624.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $626.04 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.64 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Chemed has set its FY 2025 guidance at 22.000-22.300 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Chemed will post 21.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio is 12.69%.

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.