Aureus Asset Management LLC Raises Position in Service Corporation International $SCI

Key Points

• Aureus Asset Management increased its stake in Service Corporation International by 196.8% in the first quarter, buying 74,387 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 112,192 shares worth about $9.26 million.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with hedge funds and other investors holding 85.53% of the company’s stock. Several other firms also added to their SCI positions during the period.
• SCI reported mixed quarterly results, missing EPS and revenue estimates, but it still raised its quarterly dividend to $0.36 per share from $0.34 and maintained analyst coverage with a Moderate Buy consensus price target of $95.

Aureus Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) by 196.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 112,192 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 74,387 shares during the period. Aureus Asset Management LLC owned about 0.08% of Service Corporation International worth $9,257,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Service Corporation International by 35.7% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 612 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Service Corporation International by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,872 shares of the company's stock worth $402,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in Service Corporation International by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 43,521 shares of the company's stock worth $3,622,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in Service Corporation International by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 10,571 shares of the company's stock worth $848,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the period. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Service Corporation International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Service Corporation International Price Performance

SCI stock opened at $77.43 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.22. The company has a market capitalization of $10.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.43, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $79.31. Service Corporation International has a twelve month low of $68.41 and a twelve month high of $88.67.

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $544.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. Service Corporation International had a net margin of 12.36% and a return on equity of 34.30%. The business's revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.96 earnings per share. Service Corporation International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.050-4.350 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Service Corporation International will post 4.14 EPS for the current year.

Service Corporation International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This is a positive change from Service Corporation International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Service Corporation International's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SCI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen cut Service Corporation International from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 28th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Service Corporation International from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Service Corporation International from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Service Corporation International from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Service Corporation International from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $95.00.

Service Corporation International Company Profile

Service Corporation International NYSE: SCI is a leading provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services in North America. Through its network of funeral homes, cemeteries, memorial parks and crematoria, the company offers a broad array of end-of-life services, including traditional funeral ceremonies, memorialization, burial and cremation. In addition to core services, SCI provides grief counseling, pre-need planning and merchandise such as caskets, vaults, urns and memorialization products.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Service Corporation International operates more than 1,900 funeral homes, over 450 cemeteries and 40 combination facilities across the United States and Canada.

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