Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Sets New 12-Month High - Still a Buy?

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Service Co. International from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st.

Service Co. International Stock Up 7.2 %

The firm's fifty day moving average is $77.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.97. The firm has a market cap of $11.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.05, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.51.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79. Service Co. International had a net margin of 12.32% and a return on equity of 32.07%. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.78 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Service Co. International will post 3.52 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. Service Co. International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Service Co. International

In related news, Director Ellen Ochoa sold 2,642 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.41, for a total transaction of $201,875.22. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Ellen Ochoa sold 2,642 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.41, for a total transaction of $201,875.22. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, 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 value of $5,964,792.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 988,365 shares in the company, valued at $73,109,359.05. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Service Co. International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCI. Select Equity Group L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 53.5% in the second quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 7,239,783 shares of the company's stock valued at $514,966,000 after purchasing an additional 2,524,795 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in Service Co. International during the 1st quarter worth about $224,137,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Service Co. International by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,942,559 shares of the company's stock worth $138,183,000 after acquiring an additional 135,017 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in Service Co. International by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 1,810,148 shares of the company's stock valued at $142,875,000 after acquiring an additional 61,838 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coho Partners Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 10.6% in the 1st quarter. Coho Partners Ltd. now owns 1,685,111 shares of the company's stock valued at $125,052,000 after purchasing an additional 161,570 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Service Co. International Company Profile

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.