Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Stephens

Key Points

• Stephens initiated coverage of Service Corporation International with an “overweight” rating and an $86 price target, implying about 14.9% upside from the stock’s current price.
• Analyst views are mixed: MarketBeat reports an average “Moderate Buy” rating and a $93.25 average price target, alongside recent downgrades to sell ratings and cuts to other targets.
• In its latest quarter, SCI reported revenue of $1.11 billion, up 4.6% year over year and above estimates, but earnings per share of $0.97 narrowly missed the $0.99 consensus.

Research analysts at Stephens began coverage on shares of Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) in a report released on Friday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage set an "overweight" rating and a $86.00 price target on the stock. Stephens's price objective points to a potential upside of 14.87% from the stock's current price.

SCI has been the topic of several other reports. Wall Street Zen cut Service Corporation International from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Service Corporation International from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. UBS Group dropped their price target on Service Corporation International from $105.00 to $95.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Service Corporation International from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Service Corporation International from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Service Corporation International currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $93.25.

Service Corporation International Price Performance

NYSE SCI opened at $74.86 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.16. Service Corporation International has a 12 month low of $68.41 and a 12 month high of $90.99. The stock has a market cap of $10.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.94, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.77. The company's 50 day moving average is $78.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.69.

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. Service Corporation International had a return on equity of 34.96% and a net margin of 12.70%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Service Corporation International will post 4.00 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SCI. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Service Corporation International by 12.0% in the 1st quarter. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,161,496 shares of the company's stock valued at $95,835,000 after buying an additional 124,151 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Service Corporation International in the 2nd quarter worth about $80,965,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in shares of Service Corporation International by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 881,985 shares of the company's stock worth $66,996,000 after purchasing an additional 32,137 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its position in shares of Service Corporation International by 18.3% during the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 164,939 shares of the company's stock worth $13,609,000 after purchasing an additional 25,524 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aureus Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Service Corporation International by 196.8% during the 1st quarter. Aureus Asset Management LLC now owns 112,192 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,257,000 after purchasing an additional 74,387 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

About Service Corporation International

Service Corporation International (SCI) is a provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services in the United States and Canada. Its offerings include funeral and memorial services, cremation, cemetery property and merchandise, as well as advance-planning arrangements. The company serves families through a network of funeral homes and cemeteries, including locations that operate under brands such as Dignity Memorial, Funeraria del Angel and National Cremation Society. Founded in 1962 by Robert L. Waltrip, Service Corporation International is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

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