Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Sell”

StockNews.com lowered shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on SCI. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Service Co. International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Service Co. International from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Service Co. International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.50.

Service Co. International Price Performance

SCI opened at $81.10 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $78.53 and a 200-day moving average of $79.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.85, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.87. Service Co. International has a 12-month low of $67.19 and a 12-month high of $89.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 32.18% and a net margin of 12.39%. Equities analysts forecast that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.58%. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio is 36.06%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Service Co. International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Aurdan Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter worth $4,069,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new position in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter worth $1,212,000. GTS Securities LLC acquired a new position in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter worth $273,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in 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 buying an additional 15,945 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Twinbeech Capital LP acquired a new position in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter worth $5,775,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Service Co. International

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.