Short Interest in Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) Decreases By 20.0%

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

Chemed Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of CHE traded down $3.00 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $398.87. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 246,311 shares, compared to its average volume of 260,612. Chemed has a one year low of $385.00 and a one year high of $623.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.47. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $440.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $440.44.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $639.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $659.09 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.83 earnings per share. Chemed’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, research analysts predict that Chemed will post 21.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Chemed Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Chemed’s payout ratio is 13.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CHE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. 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 report on Friday, February 27th. Zacks Research cut shares of Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Chemed from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Chemed in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of Chemed from $580.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $498.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Chemed news, CEO Kevin J. Mcnamara sold 2,000 shares of Chemed stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $403.18, for a total value of $806,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,785,626.42. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 3.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chemed

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHE. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Chemed by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Chemed by 3.8% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 661 shares of the company’s stock worth $299,000 after buying an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Eukles Asset Management lifted its stake in shares of Chemed by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Eukles Asset Management now owns 6,031 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,700,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Cim LLC lifted its stake in shares of Chemed by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Cim LLC now owns 2,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $958,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Chemed by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 1,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $847,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

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.