Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $96.50.

Several research firms have commented on SCI. Wall Street Zen downgraded Service Corporation International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Service Corporation International from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Service Corporation International in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 target price on the stock.

Service Corporation International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SCI opened at $79.37 on Wednesday. Service Corporation International has a fifty-two week low of $71.75 and a fifty-two week high of $86.67. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $81.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $80.40. The company has a market capitalization of $11.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.55.

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14. Service Corporation International had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 12.59%.The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.06 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Service Corporation International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Corporation International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.34 dividend. This is a boost from Service Corporation International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Service Corporation International’s payout ratio is currently 35.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Service Corporation International news, CAO Tammy R. Moore sold 5,000 shares of Service Corporation International stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.48, for a total value of $402,400.00. Following the completion of 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SCI. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Service Corporation International by 1,629.2% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 416,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,909,000 after acquiring an additional 392,480 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Service Corporation International by 48.7% during 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 last quarter. 8 Knots Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Service Corporation International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $6,996,000. Aureus Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Service Corporation International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,948,000. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Service Corporation International by 38.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 121,883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,775,000 after purchasing an additional 34,051 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.