Weiss Ratings Reaffirms "Hold (C-)" Rating for Chemed (NYSE:CHE)

Key Points

• Weiss Ratings has reaffirmed a "Hold (C-)" rating for Chemed (NYSE:CHE), while other analysts have issued mixed ratings including a recent downgrade from Wall Street Zen.
• Chemed's stock currently shows a market capitalization of $6.35 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.41, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $578.50.
• In its latest earnings report, Chemed missed analysts' expectations, reporting $4.27 EPS against a consensus of $6.02, highlighting a 3.8% increase in revenue year-over-year despite the miss.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold (c-)" rating reiterated by research analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Chemed from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Chemed from $640.00 to $589.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on Chemed from $650.00 to $580.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Chemed from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $490.00 to $550.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on Chemed from $610.00 to $595.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $578.50.

Chemed Stock Performance

Shares of CHE traded up $0.41 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $435.80. The company had a trading volume of 168,603 shares, compared to its average volume of 187,708. Chemed has a 52-week low of $408.42 and a 52-week high of $623.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $448.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $499.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.43.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $4.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $6.02 by ($1.75). The business had revenue of $618.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $650.60 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 25.83% and a net margin of 11.56%.Chemed's quarterly revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.47 EPS. Chemed has set its FY 2025 guidance at 22.000-22.300 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Chemed will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Chemed

In other news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $461.28, for a total transaction of $1,383,840.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,197 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,373,752.16. This represents a 3.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director George J. Walsh III acquired 200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $417.10 per share, for a total transaction of $83,420.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,469,443.30. This represents a 6.02% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 13,162 shares of company stock valued at $5,677,511 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Chemed

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Chemed by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 597,175 shares of the company's stock worth $367,454,000 after acquiring an additional 15,041 shares in the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its holdings in Chemed by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 521,212 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,712,000 after buying an additional 19,650 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Chemed by 69.3% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 250,722 shares of the company's stock valued at $122,056,000 after buying an additional 102,597 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its holdings in Chemed by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 247,434 shares of the company's stock valued at $120,483,000 after buying an additional 1,083 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Chemed by 9.7% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 218,675 shares of the company's stock valued at $134,547,000 after buying an additional 19,421 shares during the period. 95.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Chemed

Chemed Corporation provides hospice and palliative care services to patients through a network of physicians, registered nurses, home health aides, social workers, clergy, and volunteers primarily in the United States. The company operates in VITAS and Roto-Rooter segments. It offers plumbing, drain cleaning, excavation, water restoration, and other related services to residential and commercial customers through company-owned branches, independent contractors, and franchisees.

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