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Should You Keep Chemed Stock in Your Portfolio Now?
Chemed Corporation (NYSE: CHE) is primed to grow in the upcoming quarters, backed by the promising prospects of the VITAS business. The company is set to capitalize on the positive trends of the global Hospice industry. Moreover, sound financial stability appears encouraging. However, the uncertainty of the macroeconomic challenges and competitive pressure remain our concerns for Chemed's operations.
In the past year, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has dropped 2.2% in value against the 11.5% rise of the industry and the 25% growth of the S&P 500 composite.
The renowned hospice care provider has a market capitalization of $8.14 billion. Chemed projects an estimated earnings growth rate of 17.6% in the second quarter of 2024, driven by an 8.9% increase in revenues. In the trailing four quarters, the company delivered an average earnings surprise of 0.33%.
Let's delve deeper.
Upsides
VITAS' Bright Growth Prospects: The segment's accelerated improvement post-pandemic has been encouraging. The increased growth in licensed healthcare professionals, strong admissions and corresponding growth in the patient census have returned VITAS to normalized operating conditions. In the first quarter of 2024, the year-over-year increase in business revenues was primarily driven by a 2.6 % rise in the geographically weighted average Medicare reimbursement rate and an 11.5% increase in days of care.
Furthermore, VITAS' improving operating metrics are a direct result of its retention and hiring program launched in July 2022. Over the last six quarters, VITAS has generated quarterly sequential ADC (Average Daily Census) growth, increasing by 10.3% year over year in the first quarter. The business also increased its net bedside headcount by 173 licensed professionals, which outpaced its projections.