Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) Receives $96.50 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $96.50.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on SCI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Service Corporation International in a research report on Tuesday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Service Corporation International from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Service Corporation International from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 13th.

Service Corporation International Trading Down 0.9%

SCI opened at $80.99 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.17. Service Corporation International has a twelve month low of $71.75 and a twelve month high of $85.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $78.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.88.

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.04 billion. Service Corporation International had a return on equity of 33.60% and a net margin of 12.46%.Service Corporation International’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS. Service Corporation International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.800-3.90 EPS. Analysts predict that Service Corporation International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Corporation International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. Service Corporation International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Elisabeth G. Nash sold 42,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.32, for a total transaction of $3,235,968.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 110,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,395,657.92. This trade represents a 27.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, President Sumner J. Waring III sold 30,300 shares of Service Corporation International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.14, for a total value of $2,519,142.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 295,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,542,262.88. The trade was a 9.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Service Corporation International

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in Service Corporation International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $435,000. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Service Corporation International by 38.8% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 121,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,775,000 after purchasing an additional 34,051 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Service Corporation International by 48.7% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 417,387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,474,000 after purchasing an additional 136,770 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in Service Corporation International by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 10,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $848,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Service Corporation International by 30.2% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,474 shares of the company’s stock valued at $364,000 after purchasing an additional 1,038 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Service Corporation International

Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI) is a leading provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services in North America. Through its network of funeral homes, cemeteries, memorial parks and crematoria, the company offers a broad array of end-of-life services, including traditional funeral ceremonies, memorialization, burial and cremation. In addition to core services, SCI provides grief counseling, pre-need planning and merchandise such as caskets, vaults, urns and memorialization products.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Service Corporation International operates more than 1,900 funeral homes, over 450 cemeteries and 40 combination facilities across the United States and Canada.