Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) Short Interest Update

Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totaling 593,000 shares, an increase of 41.2% from the September 30th total of 419,900 shares. Currently, 4.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 190,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days. Based on an average daily volume of 190,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days. Currently, 4.2% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Chemed from $640.00 to $589.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of Chemed from $650.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Zacks Research raised shares of Chemed from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $490.00 to $550.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Chemed from $610.00 to $595.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $578.50.

Chemed Stock Up 2.2%

NYSE CHE traded up $9.50 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $440.80. 229,830 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 153,487. The company has a market cap of $6.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.43. Chemed has a 12-month low of $408.42 and a 12-month high of $623.60. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $447.69 and a 200 day moving average of $492.16.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $461.28, for a total transaction of $1,383,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 96,197 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,373,752.16. The trade was a 3.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Patrick P. Grace sold 150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $463.39, for a total transaction of $69,508.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 3,397 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,574,135.83. This trade represents a 4.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHE. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Chemed in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new position in Chemed in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Chemed in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in Chemed in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Chemed in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. 95.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.