Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $96.50.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Service Corporation International news, VP Elisabeth G. Nash sold 42,400 shares of the 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 transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, President Sumner J. Waring III sold 30,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 31st. The shares were 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 $24,542,262.88. This trade represents a 9.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 4.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Service Corporation International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Service Corporation International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Service Corporation International in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Service Corporation International in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Service Corporation International during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Service Corporation International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Service Corporation International Price Performance

NYSE SCI traded down $0.48 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $82.49. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 36,632 shares, compared to its average volume of 850,383. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.17, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.56. The company’s 50-day moving average is $78.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.86. The stock has a market cap of $11.56 billion, a PE ratio of 22.23, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.99. Service Corporation International has a fifty-two week low of $71.75 and a fifty-two week high of $85.00.

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

Service Corporation International Announces Dividend

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

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.