StockNews.com Upgrades Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) to “Hold”

by · The Markets Daily

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI – Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Thursday.

Separately, Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Service Co. International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $88.50.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Service Co. International

Service Co. International Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of SCI traded down $0.26 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $81.31. The stock had a trading volume of 1,533,358 shares, compared to its average volume of 992,310. Service Co. International has a 1 year low of $67.19 and a 1 year high of $89.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $79.13 and its 200 day moving average is $80.24. The firm has a market cap of $11.72 billion, a PE ratio of 22.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06. Service Co. International had a net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 32.18%. As a group, analysts forecast that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Service Co. International

In other news, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of Service Co. International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.29, for a total value of $515,385.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 46,824 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,712,674.96. This trade represents a 12.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.56, for a total value of $4,228,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 982,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $83,066,078.48. This trade represents a 4.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Service Co. International

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 17.7% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $829,000 after buying an additional 1,559 shares in the last quarter. Aurdan Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,069,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new stake in Service Co. International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,212,000. GTS Securities LLC purchased a new position in Service Co. International in the fourth quarter worth $273,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Service Co. International by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 628,011 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,128,000 after purchasing an additional 15,945 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Service Co. International

(Get Free Report)

Service Corp. International engages in the provision of funeral goods and services. It operates through the Funeral and Cemetery segments. The Funeral segment offers services related to cremations, including the use of home facilities and motor vehicles, arranging and directing services, removal, preparation, embalming, memorialization, and catering.

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