Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Downgraded to Sell at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on SCI. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Service Co. International from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, June 21st. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Service Co. International from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Service Co. International from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $77.60.

Service Co. International Stock Performance

SCI stock opened at $73.40 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $72.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.50. Service Co. International has a 12-month low of $52.89 and a 12-month high of $80.37. The firm has a market cap of $10.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.05.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.86 by ($0.07). Service Co. International had a net margin of 12.32% and a return on equity of 32.07%. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.83 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Service Co. International will post 3.66 EPS for the current year.

Service Co. International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.48%.

Insider Transactions at Service Co. International

In other Service Co. International news, Director Tony Coelho sold 2,900 shares of Service Co. International stock in a transaction on Friday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.38, for a total transaction of $209,902.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 60,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,388,327.02. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Service Co. International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of Service Co. International by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,226 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 5.6% during the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $215,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Service Co. International by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Service Co. International by 3.5% during the second quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,894 shares of the company’s stock worth $348,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Service Co. International by 16.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,254 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Company Profile

Service Corporation International provides deathcare products and services in the United States and Canada. Its funeral service and cemetery operations comprise funeral service locations, cemeteries, funeral service/cemetery combination locations, crematoria, and other businesses. The company also provides professional services related to funerals and cremations, including the use of funeral home facilities and motor vehicles; arranging and directing services; and removal, preparation, embalming, cremation, memorialization, and travel protection, as well as catering services.