Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Sell

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on SCI. Weiss Ratings upgraded Service Corporation International from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Service Corporation International in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 target price for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $96.50.

Service Corporation International Price Performance

SCI stock opened at $79.21 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $80.25 and a 200-day moving average of $80.28. The company has a market cap of $11.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.85, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10. Service Corporation International has a 12-month low of $71.75 and a 12-month high of $86.67.

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.14. The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.12 billion. Service Corporation International had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 12.59%.Service Corporation International’s quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.06 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Service Corporation International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Service Corporation International news, VP Elisabeth G. Nash sold 42,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.32, for a total value of $3,235,968.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 110,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,395,657.92. This represents a 27.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Tammy R. Moore sold 5,000 shares of Service Corporation International stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.48, for a total transaction of $402,400.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 21,654 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,742,713.92. This trade represents a 18.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Service Corporation International during the third quarter worth $33,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Service Corporation International during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Service Corporation International in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Service Corporation International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Service Corporation International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Service Corporation International Company Profile

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.