Bullish case
$650 to $790
More likely if VITAS keeps admissions growth near 9% and census near 6%, Medicare Cap stays contained, Roto-Rooter margins recover, and the market assigns a 28x forward multiple to earnings of $27 to $28.
Chemed Corporation research snapshot
CHE AI stock analysis reads Chemed Corporation as a defensive healthcare and services holding company whose two businesses, VITAS Healthcare and Roto-Rooter, both reported solid second-quarter results. At the August 3, 2026 cutoff, the latest verified quote was $542.64, market capitalization was about $7.07 billion, and the stock was trading just below its 52-week high of $551.68. The analysis is not a certain price prediction. It weighs a raised full-year earnings outlook, strong VITAS volume and margin gains, disciplined buybacks, and a valuation that has moved to about 27x trailing earnings. This is informational research and not investment advice.
Current price
$542.64
Market cap
$7.07 billion
AI score
75 / 100
Rating
Quality business with modest margin of safety
Trend status
Strong uptrend near 52-week highs
Data cutoff (updated monthly)
August 4, 2026
Informational use only. This page is not investment advice.
| Dimension | Conclusion | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Business quality | Chemed owns two essential-service businesses: VITAS, the largest US hospice provider, and Roto-Rooter, a leading plumbing and drain services brand. Q2 2026 revenue grew 8.8% with VITAS patient revenue up 11.9%. | High |
| Moat | Roto-Rooter has brand recognition and scale in a fragmented industry. VITAS has operating scale but faces low switching costs and Medicare reimbursement dependency. | Medium-high |
| Management | CEO Kevin McNamara has led Chemed since 1999. The company bought back about 1.52 million shares over the trailing year, roughly 10.5% of shares, and raised 2026 guidance. The VITAS CEO transition remains a monitor item. | Medium-high |
| Financial trend | TTM revenue of about $2.60 billion and TTM net income of about $275 million. Adjusted diluted EPS for 2026 is guided to $25.00 to $25.75, up from $21.55 in 2025. | High |
| Valuation | CHE trades near 27x trailing earnings and about 21x trailing free cash flow, above its historical average. The forward P/E near 21x is more reasonable given raised guidance. | Medium |
| Technical trend | CHE is up about 27% over 3 months and near the 52-week high of $551.68. RSI near 73 signals overbought conditions after a strong run. | Medium-high |
| Risk level | Key risks are Medicare reimbursement and Medicare Cap exposure at VITAS, the VITAS CEO transition, Roto-Rooter margin pressure from marketing spend, and valuation after a large rally. | Medium-high |
| AI confidence | Medium-high confidence for the business map, latest filings, and market cap math. Lower confidence for projection accuracy given thin analyst coverage and holding company structure. | Medium-high data confidence |
| Investment certainty | Medium certainty. CHE is well run with improving fundamentals, but valuation is no longer cheap and results depend on continued hospice growth and stable Medicare policy. | Medium |
CHE AI stock forecast
The CHE AI stock forecast uses scenario ranges around the $542.64 cutoff price. It does not claim that AI can predict a specific future price. The bullish case requires sustained VITAS admissions and census growth, stable Medicare reimbursement, and continued margin gains. The base case assumes mid-to-high single-digit organic growth with the multiple roughly unchanged. The bearish case assumes Medicare policy headwinds, Roto-Rooter margin pressure, or a demand slowdown.
$650 to $790
More likely if VITAS keeps admissions growth near 9% and census near 6%, Medicare Cap stays contained, Roto-Rooter margins recover, and the market assigns a 28x forward multiple to earnings of $27 to $28.
$540 to $620
More likely if earnings grow near the raised $25.00 to $25.75 guidance range, cash flow continues to fund buybacks, and CHE trades near a 24x forward multiple.
$300 to $380
More likely if Medicare hospice reimbursement is cut or the Medicare Cap hits multiple provider numbers, Roto-Rooter demand slows, and the multiple compresses toward 17x forward earnings.
CHE AI technical analysis
CHE AI technical analysis starts from the $542.64 August 3, 2026 quote used for this static page, with a previous close of $532.25. Barchart showed a strong uptrend with an 88% buy opinion, relative strength above 70%, and the stock near the 52-week high of $551.68. Because this page does not fetch request-time market data, traders should confirm levels on a live chart before acting.
| Level | Value | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Current price | $542.64 | Latest verified quote used for this page as of the August 3, 2026 data cutoff. Previous close was $532.25. |
| Near resistance | $543.68 to $551.68 | The 52-week high zone. Barchart placed the second and third resistance points at $543.68 and $551.42, with the 52-week high at $551.68. |
| Secondary resistance | $552 to $560 | Above the 52-week high there is no recent supply until new highs, so $552 and round numbers near $560 are the next reference zones. |
| Near support | $524.51 to $516.77 | Barchart first and second support levels. A pullback to this area would be normal after an extended rally. |
| Secondary support | $511.06 | Barchart third support level. A close below this area would weaken the near-term setup. |
| 50-day moving average | $466.36 | The 50-day MA sits well below the price, confirming the uptrend. A decline toward it would be a large drawdown from current levels. |
| 200-day moving average | $435.92 | The 200-day MA is far below the price, confirming the long-term uptrend. |
| Momentum | RSI near 73 | StockAnalysis reported an RSI of 72.89, in overbought territory. Barchart noted relative strength above 70% with a strengthening short-term outlook. |
| Volume | Average about 165,700 shares over 20 days | Volume is modest for a mid-cap. Strong volume is needed to confirm a breakout above $551.68. |
| Beta | 0.50 | CHE has very low market correlation. It tends to hold up better in downturns but can lag in strong bull markets. |
| Invalidation | Close below $524.51, then $511.06 | A close below the first support zone weakens the near-term setup. A break below the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement around $480 would challenge the trend. |
CHE AI trading strategy
The CHE AI trading strategy is a rules-based framework, not personalized advice. It combines filing-backed business evidence, technical confirmation, position sizing, and clear invalidation levels.
Look for CHE to break above the $551.68 52-week high with above-average volume and hold above it to confirm trend continuation after the strong Q2 report.
A failed breakout or daily close below $524.51 should reduce confidence. Position sizing should account for the low beta and modest liquidity.
If CHE pulls back toward $524 to $517 without a thesis break, evaluate whether the decline is profit-taking or fundamental. Watch the late-October earnings date as the next catalyst.
Define maximum loss based on portfolio risk. CHE has low volatility, so position size may need to be larger to reach meaningful exposure.
Track VITAS admissions and census growth, Medicare reimbursement and Medicare Cap accruals, Roto-Rooter revenue and margins, buyback pace, and management commentary.
Lower the rating if VITAS growth decelerates for consecutive quarters, Roto-Rooter margins keep falling, or Medicare policy changes hit reimbursement.
Investment research summary
Chemed operates two essential-service businesses. VITAS provides end-of-life hospice and palliative care, averaging 23,687 daily census in Q2 2026. Roto-Rooter provides plumbing, drain cleaning, excavation, and water restoration services across North America.
Roto-Rooter benefits from strong brand recognition and a national network in a fragmented industry. VITAS has scale in hospice operations but faces low switching costs and Medicare reimbursement dependency.
The thesis fails if Medicare reimbursement is cut or the Medicare Cap hits multiple provider numbers, VITAS growth stalls after its leader transition, Roto-Rooter loses demand or margin to marketing costs, or a post-rally re-rating erases gains.
CEO Kevin McNamara has led Chemed since 1999. The company repurchased about 1.52 million shares over the trailing year at an average of $423.63, roughly 10.5% of shares, and raised 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $25.00 to $25.75.
Hospice care benefits from favorable demographic trends with the aging US population. Plumbing services are partly tied to housing and remodeling activity but also benefit from recurring maintenance demand.
At about 27x trailing earnings and 21x trailing free cash flow, CHE trades above its own history and near the average analyst price target of $552. The forward multiple near 21x is less demanding after guidance was raised, but the margin of safety is modest at current prices.
Source-backed data
Every metric below includes a source and last verification date.
| Metric | Value | Source | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHE price | $542.64 quote on August 3, 2026; previous close $532.25 | StockAnalysis.com and Barchart quote snapshots | August 3, 2026 |
| Market capitalization | About $7.07 billion, verified as $542.64 x 13.02M shares | financial_rigor.py market cap verification, StockAnalysis.com, Barchart | August 3, 2026 |
| TTM revenue | About $2.60 billion, up 3.3% | StockAnalysis.com financials | August 3, 2026 |
| TTM net income | About $275.0 million | StockAnalysis.com statistics | August 3, 2026 |
| TTM earnings per share | $19.91 | StockAnalysis.com statistics | August 3, 2026 |
| Q2 2026 revenue | $673.3 million, up 8.8% | Chemed Q2 2026 earnings release (GlobeNewswire, July 28, 2026) | August 3, 2026 |
| Q2 2026 adjusted EPS | $6.06, up 41.9%; GAAP EPS $5.13 | Chemed Q2 2026 earnings release | August 3, 2026 |
| 2026 adjusted EPS guidance | $25.00 to $25.75, raised from $24.00 to $24.75 | Chemed Q2 2026 earnings release | August 3, 2026 |
| TTM operating cash flow | $389.95 million | StockAnalysis.com statistics | August 3, 2026 |
| TTM free cash flow | $323.61 million, $24.86 per share | StockAnalysis.com statistics | August 3, 2026 |
| Dividend | $2.40 annual, 0.44% yield, 17 years of dividend growth | StockAnalysis.com statistics | August 3, 2026 |
| P/E and valuation | 27.25x TTM PE, 21.83x P/FCF, 0.44% dividend yield from financial_rigor.py | financial_rigor.py valuation verification | August 3, 2026 |
| Analyst consensus | Hold, average price target $552 from 4 analysts, range $400 to $590 | StockAnalysis.com forecast | August 3, 2026 |
| Three-scenario valuation | Bull $783 (28x), Base $602 (24x), Bear $359 (17x) from financial_rigor.py | financial_rigor.py three-scenario model | August 3, 2026 |
This CHE AI stock analysis is an informational tool for research and education only. It is not investment advice, a recommendation, or a guarantee of future performance. Forecast ranges are scenarios based on available data as of August 3, 2026 and can be wrong.
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