Service Corporation International · SCI · FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026
SCI lowers guidance as cost pressures offset resilient pre-need demand
SCI's pre-need demand, backlog, cash flow, and acquisition program remain constructive, but the lowered guidance shows that near-term earnings depend on funeral volumes, cost control, and the timing of cemetery revenue recognition.
Earnings scorecard
Reported versus consensusMarket reaction
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Transcript intelligence
What changed
The current quarter showed stronger pre-need cemetery demand and continued cash generation, but weaker funeral volumes and higher operating costs led management to lower guidance. The company is responding with pricing and cost actions while maintaining acquisition and digital-investment plans.
Guidance delta
Management lowered full-year and fourth-quarter EPS guidance, citing weaker funeral volumes, higher costs, and cemetery revenue-recognition timing.
Key takeaways
- Pre-need cemetery sales remained a relative strength, with a large backlog supporting future revenue.
- Higher healthcare, fuel, advertising, and selling-compensation costs weighed on margins.
- Strong operating cash flow supported shareholder returns while management continued acquisitions and digital investment.
Management priorities
- Grow pre-need cemetery and memorialization sales.
- Use pricing and cost management to improve margins.
- Continue targeted acquisitions and digital and AI-driven lead generation.
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Analyst 52W Price Targets
Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Oct 30, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.
Firm-level rating actions
FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.
| Firm | Rating | Prior rating | Action | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBS | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 31, 2026 |
| JP Morgan | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | May 1, 2026 |
| Oppenheimer | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Apr 2, 2026 |
| Raymond James | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Aug 4, 2025 |
| Truist Securities | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Nov 1, 2024 |
| Credit Suisse | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Aug 3, 2023 |
| Bank of America | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Feb 21, 2018 |
| B of A Securities | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Feb 21, 2018 |
| Deutsche Bank | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Feb 15, 2018 |
| Wells Fargo | Perform | Market Perform | Maintain | Aug 2, 2016 |
Named analyst price targets
Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $75.17. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.
| Firm | Analyst | 52W target | Price when posted | Upside | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $105 | $86.09 | +39.7% | Jul 31, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $93 | $79.4 | +23.7% | May 1, 2026 |
| Truist Financial | Analyst unavailable | $100 | $83.77 | +33.0% | Oct 30, 2025 |
| Oppenheimer | Analyst unavailable | $94 | $82.8 | +25.0% | Oct 22, 2025 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $95 | $82.53 | +26.4% | Oct 13, 2025 |
| Oppenheimer | Scott Schneeberger | $91 | $81.23 | +21.1% | Aug 21, 2025 |
| Raymond James | Analyst unavailable | $90 | $78.45 | +19.7% | Aug 4, 2025 |
| Truist Financial | Tobey Sommer | $84 | $72.02 | +11.7% | Jun 21, 2024 |
| Oppenheimer | Scott Schneeberger | $79 | $70.1 | +5.1% | May 22, 2024 |
| UBS | AJ Rice | $85 | $70.78 | +13.1% | May 17, 2024 |
Track every rating change on SCI the moment it posts. Free to start.
Start freeCompany context
Snapshot as of publicationService Corporation International (SCI) is a leading provider of comprehensive end-of-life products and services across the United States and Canada. The company structures its extensive operations into two primary divisions: Funeral Services and Cemetery Operations. SCI's physical footprint encompasses a vast network of funeral homes, cemeteries, and crematories, including numerous integrated locations that offer both funeral and cemetery services. Their professional offerings span the entire funeral and cremation process, from the logistical aspects of facility and vehicle use to the compassionate arrangement and direction of services. This includes essential tasks such as removal, preparation, embalming, and cremation, alongside memorialization options, travel protection plans, and catering. Clients can also procure a wide array of funeral merchandise.…
Consumer Cyclical peers this season
Latest reports in the same sector| Company | Quarter | EPS surprise | Market move | Headline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVY Avery Dennison Corporation | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | — | +0.8% | Avery Dennison raises growth outlook as destocking fades |
| NCLH Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | — | +13.4% | NCLH Q3 beat lifts guidance as turnaround gains momentum |
| ORLY O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | +4.3% | -2.7% | O'Reilly raises guidance as comparable sales accelerate |
| BWA BorgWarner Inc. | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | — | -5.5% | BorgWarner advances industrial diversification as EPS outlook rises |
Latest beats and misses
Who reports nextBeat on EPS
- TROWFY2026 Q3 · October 29, 2026+8.7% EPS+2.5% move
- TXTFY2026 Q3 · October 29, 2026+23.1% EPS+11.7% move
- BMYFY2026 Q3 · October 29, 2026+22.7% EPS+1.4% move
- DTMFY2026 Q3 · October 29, 2026+2.7% EPS+1.7% move
- TAKFY2026 Q2 · October 29, 2026+251.7% EPS-0.7% move
- BLDRFY2026 Q3 · October 29, 2026+42.5% EPS+12.8% move
Missed on EPS
- STMFY2026 Q3 · October 29, 2026-7.5% EPS+3.0% move
- AMFY2026 Q3 · October 28, 2026-5.6% EPS+3.7% move
- INGFY2026 Q3 · October 29, 2026-5.1% EPS-2.0% move
- AMPFY2026 Q3 · October 29, 2026-4.3% EPS+1.7% move
- AMRZFY2026 Q3 · October 28, 2026-1.0% EPS+3.9% move
- MAAFY2026 Q3 · October 28, 2026-5.9% EPS+1.3% move
Get the SCI recap when the next report posts
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Sources
- Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-10-29T18:10:02.175353+00:00
- FN2 earnings calendar · 2026-10-30T01:23:13.979536+00:00
- Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-10-30T03:40:42.953408+00:00
- Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-10-30T03:40:42.950799+00:00
Methodology
Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.
Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.
Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.
By FN2 Research · Updated · As of 2026-10-30. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.