Copeland Capital Management LLC Sells 8,815 Shares of Chemed Corporation $CHE

Key Points

• Copeland Capital Management trimmed its stake in Chemed by 6.0%, selling 8,815 shares and leaving it with 137,551 shares (about 0.97% of the company) valued at roughly $58.85 million.
• Chemed reported an adjusted Q1 EPS of $5.65 that topped estimates, raised FY2026 guidance to $24.00–$24.75, repurchased 500,000 shares and acquired two Roto‑Rooter franchises for $20.6 million.
• Near‑term risks include Roto‑Rooter margin pressure (adjusted EBITDA down ~9.6% with a ~218‑bp margin decline) and GAAP EPS lagging adjusted results, while analysts remain mixed with a consensus "Hold" and an average price target near $498.

Copeland Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE - Free Report) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 137,551 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,815 shares during the quarter. Chemed comprises 1.3% of Copeland Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Copeland Capital Management LLC owned about 0.97% of Chemed worth $58,853,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Chemed by 71.4% in the third 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 last quarter. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in Chemed during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new stake in Chemed during the 3rd quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, HM Payson & Co. raised its holdings in Chemed by 35.5% during the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 103 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Chemed

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on CHE. Weiss Ratings cut Chemed from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Chemed from $580.00 to $500.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $422.00 price objective (down from $572.00) on shares of Chemed in a report on Friday, February 27th. Zacks Research cut Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut Chemed from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $498.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chemed

In other news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $403.18, for a total transaction of $806,360.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,719 shares of the company's stock, 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 SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Chemed Price Performance

Shares of CHE stock opened at $383.42 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a PE ratio of 20.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $404.22 and a 200-day moving average of $426.40. Chemed Corporation has a one year low of $365.20 and a one year high of $583.96.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $5.65 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $659.22 million. Chemed had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 25.66%. Chemed's revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.63 EPS. Chemed has set its FY 2026 guidance at 24.000-24.75 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Chemed Corporation will post 21.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. Chemed's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.06%.

Chemed 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.

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