Chemed Corporation (CHE) – What Are Brokerages Saying About This Stock?

Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $603.00.

Several analysts recently issued reports on CHE shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Chemed from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Chemed from $650.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Chemed from $548.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Chemed in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Chemed from $590.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th.

Chemed Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of Chemed stock opened at $526.43 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.85 billion, a PE ratio of 25.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $514.46 and a 200-day moving average of $465.08. Chemed has a 1-year low of $365.20 and a 1-year high of $562.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $6.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.44 by $0.31. Chemed had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 35.18%. The company had revenue of $690.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $685.04 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.27 earnings per share. Chemed’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Chemed will post 24.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Spencer S. Lee sold 920 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $537.17, for a total transaction of $494,196.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,931 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,483,315.27. This trade represents a 6.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $537.90, for a total value of $1,075,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 82,220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,226,138. This trade represents a 2.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 9,920 shares of company stock valued at $5,223,056 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 3.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chemed

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Chemed during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,726,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in shares of Chemed during the second quarter worth $4,413,000. Lone Peak Global Investors LLC grew its stake in Chemed by 38.1% in the 2nd quarter. Lone Peak Global Investors LLC now owns 37,099 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,279,000 after acquiring an additional 10,226 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in shares of Chemed by 41.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 12,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,729,000 after purchasing an additional 3,632 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its position in shares of Chemed by 51.5% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 53,856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,083,000 after purchasing an additional 18,301 shares during the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Chemed

Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) is a Cincinnati, Ohio-based company that provides healthcare and residential and commercial services through two operating businesses: VITAS Healthcare and Roto-Rooter. Its operations serve customers primarily in the United States, with Roto-Rooter also providing services in Canada.

VITAS Healthcare is a provider of hospice and palliative care for individuals with advanced illnesses. The business delivers care in patients’ homes, hospice inpatient units, hospitals, nursing facilities and other care settings.