CHE Stock Falls Despite Q1 Earnings & Revenue Beat, Gross Margin Declines

Core Viewpoint - Chemed Corporation reported strong first-quarter 2025 earnings and revenue growth, but faced stock price decline due to concerns over gross margin contraction and Roto-Rooter segment performance [1][2][14]. Financial Performance - Adjusted EPS for Q1 2025 was $5.63, an increase of 8.3% year over year, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.5% [1] - GAAP EPS was $4.86, reflecting a 14.6% increase from the previous year [1] - Revenues for the quarter reached $646.9 million, up 9.8% year over year, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.7% [2] Segment Performance - VITAS segment reported net patient revenues of $407.4 million, a 15.1% increase year over year, driven by an 11.9% rise in days-of-care and a 3.2% increase in Medicare reimbursement rates [4] - Roto-Rooter segment generated sales of $239.5 million, a 1.8% year-over-year increase, with commercial revenues up 7.3% [6] - Roto-Rooter residential revenues decreased by 1.7% year over year, with specific declines in drain cleaning and plumbing services [7] Margin and Expense Analysis - Gross profit increased by 6% year over year to $216.4 million, but gross margin contracted by 119 basis points to 33.5% due to rising service costs [8] - SG&A expenses decreased by 8.9% year over year to $105.6 million, while adjusted operating profit rose by 25.6% to $110.8 million [8] Liquidity and Capital Structure - As of the end of Q1 2025, the company had cash and cash equivalents of $173.9 million, down from $178.4 million at the end of Q4 2024, with no current or long-term debt [9][10] - Net cash provided by operating activities was $32.7 million, compared to $84.5 million in the same period last year [10] Shareholder Returns and Guidance - The company repurchased 50,000 shares for $29.8 million, with approximately $225.6 million remaining under its share repurchase authorization [11] - For 2025, Chemed expects VITAS revenues to grow by 10.5% to 11.3%, while Roto-Rooter is forecasted to grow by 2.4% to 3.0% [12] - Adjusted EPS guidance for 2025 is set between $24.95 and $25.45, indicating an 8.8% growth over 2024 [13]