Brokerages Set Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) Target Price at $498.00

Shares of Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the six analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $498.00.

CHE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings lowered Chemed from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Zacks Research downgraded Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $422.00 price target (down from $572.00) on shares of Chemed in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Chemed from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Chemed from $580.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th.

Key Chemed News

Here are the key news stories impacting Chemed this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raised full‑year guidance — Chemed updated FY2026 EPS guidance to $24.00–$24.75, above Street consensus (~$23.48), signaling stronger-than-expected outlook driven by VITAS. GlobeNewswire: Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted EPS beat — Chemed reported adjusted EPS of $5.65 vs. consensus ~$5.39, topping estimates and supporting the rally. Zacks: CHE Beats Q1
• Positive Sentiment: Buyback and small M&A — Company repurchased 500,000 shares in Q1 and acquired two Roto‑Rooter franchises for $20.6M, both shareholder-friendly moves that reduce share count and expand core footprint. GlobeNewswire: Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and targets remain constructive — Wall Street sentiment and recent price targets (median ~$475; some higher) provide additional backing for the stock post‑print. QuiverQuant: Analyst & Price Target Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: VITAS drove growth — Hospice unit (VITAS) showed modest revenue and census growth (net patient revenue +3.1%, ADC +2.2%, admissions +6.9%), supporting the company’s guidance raise but with limited margin expansion. GlobeNewswire: VITAS Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Operating cash flow strength — Operating cash flow improved materially year‑over‑year, improving financial flexibility even as capex rose to support operations. QuiverQuant: Cash Flow Details
• Negative Sentiment: Roto‑Rooter margin pressure — The plumbing segment saw revenue tick down ~0.9% and adjusted EBITDA decline ~9.6% with a ~218‑bp margin drop, a near‑term headwind to consolidated margins. GlobeNewswire: Roto‑Rooter Results
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP EPS vs. adjusted — GAAP diluted EPS ($4.84) lags adjusted EPS, and some metrics (net income, operating profit) declined year‑over‑year, which could temper enthusiasm if investors focus on GAAP trends. GlobeNewswire: GAAP vs Adjusted
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling noted — Recent insider sales (including CEO) were reported in the quarter, which some investors track as a cautionary signal. QuiverQuant: Insider Activity

Chemed Trading Up 2.8%

NYSE:CHE opened at $383.42 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.87, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.49. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $404.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $426.40. Chemed has a 12-month low of $365.20 and a 12-month high of $583.96.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $5.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.30 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $657.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $659.22 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 25.66% and a net margin of 10.48%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.63 earnings per share. Chemed has set its FY 2026 guidance at 24.000-24.75 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Chemed will post 21.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Chemed

In related news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $403.18, for a total value of $806,360.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,719 shares in the company, valued at $37,785,626.42. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 3.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Chemed

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its position in Chemed by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Chemed by 3.8% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 661 shares of the company’s stock worth $299,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Eukles Asset Management boosted its position in Chemed by 0.4% during the third quarter. Eukles Asset Management now owns 6,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,700,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Cim LLC boosted its position in Chemed by 1.1% during the third quarter. Cim LLC now owns 2,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $958,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Chemed by 71.4% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 60 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Chemed Company Profile

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.