The Gory Details on Chemed's Double Fumble

Updated

Chemed (NYS: CHE) reported earnings on Oct. 29. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Sep. 30 (Q3), Chemed missed slightly on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue increased and GAAP earnings per share expanded slightly.


Margins contracted across the board.

Revenue details
Chemed reported revenue of $354.4 million. The four analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted a top line of $360.2 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 3.8% higher than the prior-year quarter's $341.4 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $1.28. The five earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $1.35 per share. GAAP EPS of $1.07 for Q3 were 2.9% higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.04 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 27.6%, 60 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 10.2%, 190 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 5.9%, 50 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $369.2 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.57.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.44 billion. The average EPS estimate is $5.37.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 93 members out of 107 rating the stock outperform, and 14 members rating it underperform. Among 35 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 31 give Chemed a green thumbs-up, and four give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Chemed is outperform, with an average price target of $68.75.

The article The Gory Details on Chemed's Double Fumble originally appeared on Fool.com.

Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor ofMotley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. The Motley Fool has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2012 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Advertisement