Chemed (NYSE:CHE) Lowered to "Strong Sell" Rating by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded Chemed from a "hold" to a "strong sell," while several other firms have trimmed ratings or price targets; the consensus remains an average "Hold" with an average price target of about $498.00.
• Chemed missed quarterly expectations (EPS $6.42 vs. $7.02 expected; revenue $639.3M vs. $659.1M expected), set FY2026 guidance of $23.25–24.25 EPS, and its shares trade around $412.36 amid these weaker results.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut Chemed from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Chemed in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $422.00 target price (down from $572.00) on shares of Chemed in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Chemed from $580.00 to $500.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $498.00.

Chemed Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE:CHE opened at $412.36 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.45, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.46. Chemed has a 52 week low of $385.00 and a 52 week high of $623.60. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $444.70 and a 200 day moving average of $443.11.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $6.42 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business's revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.83 earnings per share. Chemed has set its FY 2026 guidance at 23.250-24.250 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Chemed will post 21.43 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Chemed

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CHE. Monetary Solutions Ltd acquired a new position in Chemed during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chemed during the 4th quarter valued at 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 buying an additional 25 shares during the period. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in Chemed during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, First Horizon Corp acquired a new stake in Chemed during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.