Why Is CHEMED CORP NEW (CHE) Stock Up Today?

Chemed Corp shares rose 9.51% to $557.50 on Tuesday. The primary driver was a strong third-quarter earnings report that exceeded consensus estimates, followed immediately by a rating upgrade from Jefferies and a price target increase from Bank of America.

What Happened

Chemed reported third-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings per share of $6.75, surpassing the consensus estimate of $6.44. Revenue reached $690.9 million, also beating the expected $685.037 million. The company reaffirmed its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance of $25.00 to $25.75, with the high end exceeding the current consensus of $25.49.

Following the release, Jefferies upgraded the stock to Buy from Hold, citing hospice growth and margin gains. Bank of America raised its price target to $555 from $550. The company filed a Form 8-K with the SEC on October 27, 2026, disclosing the results of operations and financial condition.

What The Data Shows

The stock opened at $521.01, a 2.3% gap up from the prior close of $509.09. It hit a session high of $559.72 at 9:40 AM ET before settling at $557.50. Volume was 0.0 million shares, which is 0.3 times the three-month daily average.

Fundamentals show a market cap of $6.7 billion and a P/E ratio of 25.6. The company has a beta of 0.51 and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The 52-week range is $365.20 to $557.00, meaning the current price is near the top of its annual range. Over the last 8 sessions, the stock had moved only 0.9%, rising from $511.67 to $516.20. Recent insider activity includes six sells totaling $4.8 million over the last 90 days, with no buys recorded. CEO Kevin J. McNamara sold shares on September 28 and September 18, 2026.

What To Watch

Investors will monitor how the stock sustains its position near the 52-week high following the analyst upgrades. The company’s ability to maintain the margin gains cited by Jefferies will be a key factor in future performance.