BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Reduces Position in Service Corporation International $SCI

Key Points

• BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S cut its stake in Service Corporation International by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 24,884 shares and ending with 356,316 shares valued at about $27.8 million.
• Analyst sentiment on SCI remains mixed but generally constructive, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a $95 average price target despite a few recent downgrades and price target cuts.
• The company reported weaker-than-expected quarterly results and its shares traded down, but it also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.36 per share, implying a 2.1% yield.

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S reduced its holdings in Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) by 6.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 356,316 shares of the company's stock after selling 24,884 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S owned about 0.25% of Service Corporation International worth $27,782,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Service Corporation International in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Service Corporation International during the third quarter worth $46,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Service Corporation International during the fourth quarter worth $46,000. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Service Corporation International during the fourth quarter worth $66,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in Service Corporation International during the third quarter worth $83,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on SCI. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Service Corporation International from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Service Corporation International from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Service Corporation International from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Service Corporation International from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Service Corporation International from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $95.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Service Corporation International news, Director Tony Coelho sold 7,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.87, for a total transaction of $614,999.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 28,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,267,349.56. This trade represents a 21.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 3.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Service Corporation International Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of SCI opened at $69.61 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.22. Service Corporation International has a 12-month low of $68.41 and a 12-month high of $88.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $79.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.84.

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

Service Corporation International Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Service Corporation International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Service Corporation International's payout ratio is 35.88%.

About Service Corporation International

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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