Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $95.00.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on SCI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Service Corporation International from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Service Corporation International from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Service Corporation International from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. UBS Group reduced their target price on Service Corporation International from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Service Corporation International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 28th.

Service Corporation International Stock Performance

NYSE:SCI opened at $79.65 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.22. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $75.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $79.30. The stock has a market cap of $10.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.84. Service Corporation International has a twelve month low of $68.41 and a twelve month high of $88.67.

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.00 by ($0.03). Service Corporation International had a return on equity of 34.30% and a net margin of 12.36%.The company had revenue of $544.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Service Corporation International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.050-4.350 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Service Corporation International will post 4.14 EPS for the current year.

Service Corporation International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This is a boost from Service Corporation International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Service Corporation International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.99%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Service Corporation International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in Service Corporation International by 35.7% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Service Corporation International by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $402,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its position in shares of Service Corporation International by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 43,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,622,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of Service Corporation International by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 10,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $848,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the period. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Service Corporation International in the 3rd quarter worth about $42,000. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

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.