Wall Street analysts expect Service Co. International (NYSE: SCI) to report earnings per share (EPS) of $ 0.45 for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Two analysts have released earnings estimates for Service Co. International. The lowest EPS estimate is $ 0.40 and the highest is $ 0.50. Service Co. International reported earnings of $ 0.79 per share for the same quarter last year, indicating a negative growth rate of 43% year-over-year. The company is expected to release its next quarterly earnings report after the market closes on Wednesday, October 27.

On average, analysts expect Service Co. International to report annual earnings of $ 3.36 per share for the current year, with EPS estimates ranging from $ 3.35 to $ 3.36. For the next fiscal year, analysts predict the company will post earnings of $ 2.70 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $ 2.64 to $ 2.75. Zacks’ earnings per share calculations are an average based on a survey of seller-side research companies that cover Service Co. International.

Service Co. International (NYSE: SCI) last released its quarterly results on Tuesday, July 27. The company reported earnings per share of $ 0.92 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $ 0.67 by $ 0.25. Service Co. International had a net margin of 18.08% and a return on equity of 39.84%. The company posted revenue of $ 987.54 million in the quarter, compared to a consensus estimate of $ 837.10 million. During the same period of the previous year, the company posted earnings per share of $ 0.58.

SCI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Credit Suisse Group increased its target price on Service Co. International shares from $ 60.00 to $ 74.00 and gave the stock an “outperformance” rating in a research report published on Friday, July 30. . Raymond James raised his price target for the Service Co. International stock from $ 65.00 to $ 70.00 and rated the stock as “outperforming” in a research report published on Monday, August 2.

SCI traded up $ 0.04 on Thursday at noon, reaching $ 62.33. The company had a trading volume of 9,481 shares, compared to an average volume of 916,970. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt ratio of 1.97. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $ 62.54, and its 200-day moving average price is $ 57.42. The company has a market cap of $ 10.45 billion, a price / earnings ratio of 15.13, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.66. Service Co. International has a 52-week low of $ 42.83 and a 52-week high of $ 65.74.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 30. Shareholders of record on Wednesday September 15 received a dividend of $ 0.23. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 14. This is a boost from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $ 0.21. This represents an annualized dividend of $ 0.92 and a return of 1.48%. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.62%.

In addition, director Marcus A. Watts sold 18,000 shares in a trade on Friday, August 13. The shares were sold at an average price of $ 65.13, for a total value of $ 1,172,340.00. As a result of the transaction, the Director now owns 60,134 shares of the company, valued at approximately $ 3,916,527.42. The sale was disclosed in a legal file with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Additionally, insider Tammy R. Moore sold 21,811 shares in a trade on Friday, July 30. The stock was sold for an average price of $ 62.45, for a total trade of $ 1,362,096.95. Disclosure of this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 453,103 shares of the company valued at $ 28,843,010 during the last quarter. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company’s shares.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently changed their holdings of equities. Sciencast Management LP acquired a new position in Service Co. International during the 3rd quarter for a value of approximately $ 445,000. Virginia Retirement Systems ET AL acquired a new position in Service Co. International during the 3rd quarter for a value of approximately $ 759,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Service Co. International by 28.5% during the 3rd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,485 shares of the company valued at $ 572,000 after purchasing an additional 2,106 shares in the last quarter. Vigilare Wealth Management increased its stake in Service Co. International by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vigilare Wealth Management now owns 5,302 shares of the company valued at $ 319,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its stake in Service Co. International by 52.6% during the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 18,034,142 shares of the company valued at $ 1,086,738,000 after purchasing an additional 6,213,908 shares in the last quarter. 84.17% of the capital is held by institutional investors.

Company Profile Service Co. International

Service Corp. International is engaged in the provision of funeral goods and services. It operates through the following segments: Funeral and Cemetery. The Funeral segment offers professional services related to funeral and cremation, including the use of funeral facilities and motor vehicles, organization and direction of services, moving, preparation, embalming, cremation, commemoration and restoration.

Recommended Story: Ex-Dividend Trading Strategy

Get a Free Copy of Zacks’ Research Report on Service Co. International (SCI)

For more information on Zacks Investment Research’s research offerings, visit Zacks.com

This instant news alert was powered by narrative science technology and MarketBeat financial data to provide readers with the fastest, most accurate reports. This story was reviewed by the MarketBeat editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected]

Should you invest $ 1,000 in Service Co. International now?

Before you consider Service Co. International, you’ll want to hear this.

MarketBeat tracks Wall Street’s top-rated and top-performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat identified the five stocks that top analysts quietly whisper to their clients to buy now before the broader market takes hold of … and Service Co. International was not on the list.

While Service Co. International currently has a “Buy” rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better bets.

See the 5 actions here