Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) Short Interest Down 20.0% in February

Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 459,863 shares, a decrease of 20.0% from the February 12th total of 575,139 shares. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 267,665 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 267,665 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Chemed in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on Chemed from $580.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Chemed from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $422.00 price target (down from $572.00) on shares of Chemed in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $498.00.

Insider Activity at Chemed

In other news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $403.18, for a total value of $806,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 93,719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,785,626.42. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Chemed

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Chemed by 330.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 99 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC purchased a new position in Chemed during the 2nd quarter valued at about $378,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Chemed during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,992,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Chemed by 20.5% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 188 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its position in Chemed by 395.4% during the second quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,510,000 after acquiring an additional 2,475 shares during the last quarter. 95.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Chemed Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE CHE traded up $2.48 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $402.03. The company had a trading volume of 297,643 shares, compared to its average volume of 257,527. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.46. Chemed has a twelve month low of $385.00 and a twelve month high of $623.60. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $441.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $440.92.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $6.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.02 by ($0.60). Chemed had a return on equity of 25.66% and a net margin of 10.48%.The company had revenue of $639.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $659.09 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.83 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Chemed has set its FY 2026 guidance at 23.250-24.250 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Chemed will post 21.43 EPS for the current year.

Chemed Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. Chemed’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.