Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Strong Sell

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded Service Corporation International from “hold” to “strong sell,” while Wall Street Zen also cut its rating to “sell.”
• Analyst views remain mixed: four analysts rate SCI a Buy and one a Sell, giving it a “Moderate Buy” consensus and a $95.67 average price target. JPMorgan and UBS both lowered their targets to $95.
• SCI reported quarterly EPS of $0.97, slightly below the $0.99 estimate, while revenue of $1.11 billion topped expectations and rose 4.6% year over year.

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note issued on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

SCI has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wall Street Zen cut Service Corporation International from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Service Corporation International from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Service Corporation International from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Service Corporation International from $105.00 to $95.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $95.67.

Service Corporation International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SCI opened at $77.10 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $79.56 and a 200 day moving average of $79.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.16. The company has a market capitalization of $10.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.77. Service Corporation International has a 52 week low of $68.41 and a 52 week high of $90.99.

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.02). Service Corporation International had a net margin of 12.70% and a return on equity of 34.96%. The company had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Service Corporation International will post 4.00 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Service Corporation International

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SCI. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Service Corporation International during the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in Service Corporation International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $166,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Service Corporation International by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,204 shares of the company's stock valued at $244,000 after buying an additional 533 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Preferred LLC increased its position in Service Corporation International by 81.0% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Preferred LLC now owns 6,579 shares of the company's stock valued at $543,000 after buying an additional 2,945 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in Service Corporation International by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,527 shares of the company's stock valued at $573,000 after buying an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Service Corporation International Company Profile

Service Corporation International NYSE: SCI is a Houston-based provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services. The company operates funeral homes, cemeteries and cremation facilities, offering arrangements for traditional funerals, memorial services and cremations, as well as cemetery property, burial services and related merchandise.

SCI serves families primarily in the United States and Canada through a network of locations and a portfolio of brands that includes Dignity Memorial, Funeraria del Angel and Neptune Society.

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