Chemed (NYSE:CHE) Hits New 1-Year High After Dividend Announcement

Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) shares reached a new 52-week high on Thursday after the company announced a dividend. The company traded as high as $551.74 and last traded at $544.6710, with a volume of 9304 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $546.51.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is a positive change from Chemed’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CHE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research raised Chemed from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Chemed from $436.00 to $548.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Chemed in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on Chemed from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $530.75.

Chemed Trading Up 0.5%

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $477.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $439.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.74, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.51.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $6.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.60 by $0.46. Chemed had a net margin of 10.60% and a return on equity of 31.77%. The firm had revenue of $673.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $665.04 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.27 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Chemed has set its FY 2026 guidance at 25.000-25.750 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Chemed Corporation will post 23.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Chemed news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $539.51, for a total transaction of $1,079,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 70,418 shares in the company, valued at $37,991,215.18. This trade represents a 2.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Andrea R. Lindell sold 1,347 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $447.33, for a total value of $602,553.51. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,578 shares in the company, valued at $2,047,876.74. The trade was a 22.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 3,537 shares of company stock valued at $1,782,654 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 3.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Monetary Solutions Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Chemed in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Chemed in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Chemed in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Chemed during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Chemed by 7,500.0% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 76 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.