Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) Stock Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Brokerages

Shares of Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $95.67.

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Service Corporation International from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 30th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Service Corporation International from $105.00 to $95.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 30th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Service Corporation International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen cut Service Corporation International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Service Corporation International from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st.

Service Corporation International Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of Service Corporation International stock opened at $77.10 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $79.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $79.91. Service Corporation International has a 12-month low of $68.41 and a 12-month high of $90.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.16. The stock has a market cap of $10.48 billion, a PE ratio of 19.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.77.

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. Service Corporation International had a return on equity of 34.96% and a net margin of 12.70%. Service Corporation International’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.87 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Service Corporation International will post 4.00 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Corporation International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be given a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 15th. Service Corporation International’s payout ratio is currently 35.73%.

Institutional Trading of Service Corporation International

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Service Corporation International in the second quarter worth about $80,965,000. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Service Corporation International by 12.0% during the first quarter. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,161,496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,835,000 after purchasing an additional 124,151 shares during the period. Aureus Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Service Corporation International by 196.8% during the first quarter. Aureus Asset Management LLC now owns 112,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,257,000 after purchasing an additional 74,387 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Service Corporation International during the second quarter worth $2,904,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in shares of Service Corporation International by 3.8% during the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 881,985 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,996,000 after purchasing an additional 32,137 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

About Service Corporation International

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) is a Houston-based provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services. The company operates funeral homes, cemeteries and cremation facilities, offering arrangements for traditional funerals, memorial services and cremations, as well as cemetery property, burial services and related merchandise.

SCI serves families primarily in the United States and Canada through a network of locations and a portfolio of brands that includes Dignity Memorial, Funeraria del Angel and Neptune Society.