Provide funeral services, including arrangement, embalming, and cremation. Offer cemetery interment rights, such as burial plots and mausoleum spaces. Now — the numbers.
Revenue is spread across several lines; no single product carries the company.
This is an established company with proven profits.
The gap is $4.9B. In times of high interest rates, a gap like that can squeeze a company.
Executives buying with their own money is usually read as confidence in the company’s future.
We compared this company with its own sector across five subjects.
A score of 50 means class average.
Clearly above the class average — a step short of the very top.
Clearly below the class average.
Clearly below the class average.
There is growth, but not at top-of-the-class tempo.
Clearly above the class average — a step short of the very top.
Financial Strength: The cash-and-debt balance is thin; the buffer for hard times is slim.
Valuation: The stock trades at a price that looks expensive next to its earnings; that can cap future returns.
The stock trades near its peak today. For long-term holders the ride has paid off so far — though past performance guarantees nothing about the future.
It met or beat analyst expectations in 7 of the last 8 quarters — consistency is a promise kept.
Over the last 12 months, company executives reported 34 buys and 33 sells. Management buying with its own money is usually read as a good sign.
It pays out $1.36 per share each year — regular cash for whoever holds the stock.
Over the last 4 years, sales grew only 1% a year on average. At this size, speeding back up is not easy.
The balance sheet offers little cushion against a rough stretch. Report-card grade: 26/100.
Today’s price already includes part of tomorrow’s optimism. Report-card grade: 38/100.
On our five-subject report card, SCI sits in the middle of the class: some subjects shine, others don’t. The grade moves as the numbers move.
The takeaway: SCI is an established business that has proven its profits for years. The real debate isn’t the quality of the business — it’s whether the price paid for the stock is too high.
Analysts’ average target sits above today’s price, yet the valuation grade (38/100) says the stock isn’t cheap.