Brokerages Set Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) Target Price at $96.50

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the five analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $96.50.

SCI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Service Corporation International from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Service Corporation International in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 target price for the company.

Service Corporation International Stock Performance

Shares of SCI stock opened at $80.15 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10. Service Corporation International has a 52-week low of $71.75 and a 52-week high of $86.67. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $80.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.27. The stock has a market cap of $11.16 billion, a PE ratio of 21.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.99.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Service Corporation International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Service Corporation International during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Service Corporation International during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Service Corporation International in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Service Corporation International in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Service Corporation International in the third quarter valued at about $46,000. 85.53% of the stock is 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.