Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Wednesday morning.

Separately, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Service Co. International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $88.50.

Service Co. International Stock Performance

NYSE:SCI opened at $79.81 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $78.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $80.20. 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 has a market cap of $11.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.48, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.90. Service Co. International has a 1-year low of $67.19 and a 1-year high of $89.37.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 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%. On average, research analysts expect that Service Co. International will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Service Co. International’s payout ratio is currently 36.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Service Co. International

In other news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.56, for a total transaction of $4,228,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 982,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $83,066,078.48. This represents a 4.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Service Co. International

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in 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 worth $829,000 after purchasing an additional 1,559 shares during the last quarter. Aurdan Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Service Co. International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,069,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new stake in Service Co. International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,212,000. GTS Securities LLC bought a new stake in Service Co. International during the 4th quarter valued at $273,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Service Co. International by 2.6% during the 4th 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 acquiring an additional 15,945 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

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.