Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $81.40 and last traded at $80.66, with a volume of 188873 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $76.21.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SCI has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Service Co. International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Raymond James lifted their target price on Service Co. International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Service Co. International from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $85.25.

Service Co. International Stock Down 0.0 %

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $77.57 and a 200-day moving average of $74.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.91, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market cap of $11.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.83.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.79. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 31.84% and a net margin of 12.19%. Service Co. International’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.78 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Service Co. International will post 3.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.47%. Service Co. International’s payout ratio is 34.88%.

Insider Transactions at Service Co. International

In other Service Co. International news, Director Ellen Ochoa sold 2,642 shares of Service Co. International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.41, for a total value of $201,875.22. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Service Co. International news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 80,638 shares of Service Co. International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.97, for a total transaction of $5,964,792.86. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 988,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $73,109,359.05. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ellen Ochoa sold 2,642 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.41, for a total value of $201,875.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Service Co. International

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCI. BDF Gestion acquired a new position in shares of Service Co. International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,948,000. Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Service Co. International in the first quarter valued at $865,000. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its position in Service Co. International by 2.7% during the second quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 684,846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,713,000 after acquiring an additional 17,874 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Service Co. International by 12.8% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 103,477 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,680,000 after acquiring an additional 11,709 shares during the period. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Service Co. International in the 1st quarter worth about $917,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Service Co. International

Service Corporation International provides deathcare products and services in the United States and Canada. Its funeral service and cemetery operations comprise funeral service locations, cemeteries, funeral service/cemetery combination locations, crematoria, and other businesses. The company also provides professional services related to funerals and cremations, including the use of funeral home facilities and motor vehicles; arranging and directing services; and removal, preparation, embalming, cremation, memorialization, and travel protection, as well as catering services.