Chemed (NYSE:CHE) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Here’s Why

Shares of Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $373.22 and last traded at $373.7870, with a volume of 301568 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $377.99.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CHE. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Chemed in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. 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. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Chemed from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on shares of Chemed from $580.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $498.00.

Chemed Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $5.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.35, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $434.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $437.75.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $6.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%.Chemed’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.83 EPS. Chemed has set its FY 2026 guidance at 23.250-24.250 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Chemed Corporation will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 93,719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,785,626.42. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chemed

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Monetary Solutions Ltd acquired a new position in Chemed in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chemed during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Chemed by 71.4% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 60 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Chemed in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, First Horizon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Chemed in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.