Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) Receives $96.50 Average Target Price from Analysts

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) has been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the five analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $96.50.

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

Service Corporation International Price Performance

Service Corporation International stock opened at $79.36 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $11.05 billion, a PE ratio of 20.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.00. Service Corporation International has a 52-week low of $71.75 and a 52-week high of $86.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10. The company’s 50 day moving average is $81.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.39.

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, hitting 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 business had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.06 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Service Corporation International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Corporation International Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Service Corporation International news, CAO Tammy R. Moore sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.48, for a total value of $402,400.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 21,654 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,742,713.92. This represents a 18.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Tony Coelho sold 7,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.87, for a total transaction of $614,999.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 28,388 shares in the company, valued at $2,267,349.56. The trade was a 21.34% 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 owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Service Corporation International

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SCI. CX Institutional lifted its stake in shares of Service Corporation International by 1.3% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 10,153 shares of the company’s stock worth $845,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS grew its stake in shares of Service Corporation International by 0.7% in the third quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 29,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,488,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its holdings in shares of Service Corporation International by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 43,521 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,622,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in shares of Service Corporation International by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 10,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $848,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the period. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in Service Corporation International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

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.