Chemed (NYSE:CHE) Hits New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $383.13 and last traded at $383.8550, with a volume of 186629 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $399.34.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Chemed in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research cut shares of Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Chemed from $580.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Chemed from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $422.00 target price (down from $572.00) on shares of Chemed in a report on Friday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Chemed presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $498.00.

Chemed Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $5.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.86, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $437.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $439.24.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $6.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.02 by ($0.60). The business had revenue of $639.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $659.09 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 25.66% and a net margin of 10.48%.The company’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.83 EPS. Chemed has set its FY 2026 guidance at 23.250-24.250 EPS. Research analysts predict that Chemed Corporation will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio is 13.06%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $403.18, for a total value of $806,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 93,719 shares in the company, valued at $37,785,626.42. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 3.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 330.4% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 99 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in Chemed by 20.5% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Chemed by 4.2% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,926 shares of the company’s stock worth $938,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its holdings in Chemed by 4.9% during the second quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 3,759 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,830,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in Chemed by 1.5% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 1,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $847,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Chemed

Chemed Corporation is a diversified provider of essential home services and healthcare solutions in the United States. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, the company operates through two principal business segments—Roto-Rooter and Vitas Healthcare. Since its founding in 1974, Chemed has built a reputation for reliability and expertise, serving both residential and commercial customers across a broad range of markets.

The Roto-Rooter segment offers a comprehensive suite of plumbing, drain cleaning and water restoration services.