William Blair Investment Management LLC Buys 46,038 Shares of Chemed Corporation $CHE

William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) by 13.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 385,124 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 46,038 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned approximately 2.72% of Chemed worth $172,435,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alps Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Chemed by 32.4% during the 3rd quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 44,295 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,833,000 after acquiring an additional 10,845 shares in the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC raised its position in Chemed by 32.6% in the third quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 9,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,344,000 after purchasing an additional 2,383 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Chemed by 6.5% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 80,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,855,000 after purchasing an additional 4,865 shares in the last quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Chemed by 33.0% during the third quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 170,813 shares of the company’s stock worth $76,480,000 after purchasing an additional 42,390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Chemed by 35.0% in the second quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 69,563 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,872,000 after buying an additional 18,047 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Chemed News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Chemed this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer lowered its price target but kept an “outperform” rating (PT cut to $500), signaling some analysts still see multi‑quarter upside despite the recent miss. Oppenheimer PT/Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $422 target (down from $572), reflecting a more cautious stance but not a full downgrade; this indicates mixed analyst conviction. RBC note
• Neutral Sentiment: Chemed issued FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $23.25–$24.25 (roughly in line but slightly below consensus), and said ~55% of 2026 earnings are likely back‑half weighted as it executes transition initiatives — guidance tempers but does not eliminate investor concern. Earnings release / guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 earnings and conference-call transcripts were posted (Seeking Alpha, Yahoo, others); these provide management commentary on margin compression, VITAS trends and cash‑flow dynamics for investors doing deeper diligence. Earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks highlights the headline: Q4 EPS and revenue missed consensus, margins contracted and the FY‑2026 EPS outlook came in below street expectations — the earnings shock was the primary catalyst for the sharp share drop. Zacks: Earnings & margins miss
• Negative Sentiment: Detailed quarter metrics (QuiverQuant) show revenue and EPS declines, steeper drops in operating cash flow and lower cash balances — these raise near‑term liquidity and execution risk concerns for investors. QuiverQuant: Financial details
• Negative Sentiment: Johnson Fistel announced an investigation into possible claims tied to Chemed executives — potential litigation risk can amplify selling pressure and valuation uncertainty. GlobeNewswire: Investigation notice
• Negative Sentiment: BofA cut Chemed to neutral after the Q4 miss — another sign of weakening analyst conviction that can pressure sentiment until evidence of margin/cash‑flow stabilization appears. MSN / BofA note

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on CHE shares. Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Chemed from $580.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $422.00 price target (down from $572.00) on shares of Chemed in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Chemed in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered Chemed from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $498.00.

Chemed Stock Up 3.4%

CHE opened at $410.14 on Friday. Chemed Corporation has a twelve month low of $385.00 and a twelve month high of $623.60. The company has a fifty day moving average of $446.06 and a 200-day moving average of $443.90. The stock has a market cap of $5.81 billion, a PE ratio of 22.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.44.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $6.42 earnings per share 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 24.70% and a net margin of 10.48%.The business’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.83 earnings per share. Chemed has set its FY 2026 guidance at 23.250-24.250 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Chemed Corporation will post 21.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

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

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.