Chemed (NYSE:CHE) Stock Price Breaks Above 50-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE)’s stock price crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $514.55 and traded as high as $562.24. Chemed shares last traded at $534.7190, with a volume of 325,169 shares traded.

Key Stories Impacting Chemed

Here are the key news stories impacting Chemed this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Chemed reported adjusted earnings of $6.75 per share, exceeding the $6.44 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 10.6% year over year to $690.9 million, ahead of the $685.0 million estimate. Adjusted EPS increased 28.1% from the prior year. Chemed Reports Third-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: VITAS revenue increased 12.2% to $457.4 million, supported by a 9.4% increase in average daily census and a 7.2% rise in admissions. VITAS adjusted EBITDA, excluding the Medicare cap, climbed 31.4%, with its margin expanding 318 basis points to 20.2%. Chemed Third-Quarter Revenue Rises 10.6%
• Positive Sentiment: Management said full-year 2026 adjusted EPS should be at or slightly above the high end of its guidance issued in July, reinforcing expectations for continued earnings momentum. Chemed Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies upgraded CHE to Buy, citing additional upside potential, while BofA raised its price target to $555 and maintained a Buy rating. Jefferies Upgrades Chemed to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Chemed repurchased 125,000 shares for $66 million and reacquired California Roto-Rooter franchise territories for approximately $62.5 million, reflecting capital deployment but also reducing near-term cash balances.
• Negative Sentiment: Roto-Rooter revenue grew 7.5%, but segment net income fell 1.8%, adjusted EBITDA declined 2.5%, and its margin contracted 213 basis points to 20.6%. Chemed Third-Quarter Results
• Negative Sentiment: Reported insider activity was entirely selling over the past six months, including sales by CEO Kevin McNamara, which may weigh modestly on investor sentiment.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on CHE shares. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Chemed from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Chemed from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 10th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Chemed in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings raised Chemed from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Chemed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $520.00 to $620.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $583.60.

Chemed Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $6.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $514.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $462.04.

Chemed (NYSE:CHE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $6.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.44 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $690.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $685.04 million. Chemed had a return on equity of 31.77% and a net margin of 10.60%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.27 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Chemed Corporation will post 23.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chemed Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a $0.70 dividend. This is an increase from Chemed’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Chemed’s payout ratio is currently 14.06%.

Insider Transactions at Chemed

In other news, CEO Kevin McNamara sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $513.45, for a total value of $1,026,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 66,418 shares in the company, valued at $34,102,322.10. This represents a 2.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Patrick Grace sold 190 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.00, for a total transaction of $101,080.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,879,556. This trade represents a 5.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 9,190 shares of company stock worth $4,833,160 over the last 90 days. 3.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chemed

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new position in Chemed in the 3rd quarter valued at about $201,000. VestGen Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Chemed in the 3rd quarter worth about $202,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Chemed by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 14,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,358,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Chemed by 28.3% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 367 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Chemed by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 550 shares of the company’s stock worth $278,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.85% of the company’s stock.

Chemed Company Profile

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.