Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI – Get Free Report) and Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE – Get Free Report) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, analyst recommendations, risk, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership and dividends.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Service Corporation International and Grand Canyon Education, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Service Corporation International | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2.75 |
| Grand Canyon Education | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2.60 |
Service Corporation International currently has a consensus price target of $100.67, indicating a potential upside of 24.19%. Grand Canyon Education has a consensus price target of $161.67, indicating a potential upside of 6.69%. Given Service Corporation International’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Service Corporation International is more favorable than Grand Canyon Education.
Profitability
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Service Corporation International | 12.30% | 34.38% | 2.91% |
| Grand Canyon Education | 19.63% | 36.62% | 26.87% |
Insider and Institutional Ownership
85.5% of Service Corporation International shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.2% of Grand Canyon Education shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.4% of Service Corporation International shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.1% of Grand Canyon Education shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Risk & Volatility
Service Corporation International has a beta of 0.8, suggesting that its share price is 20% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Grand Canyon Education has a beta of 0.58, suggesting that its share price is 42% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Service Corporation International and Grand Canyon Education”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Service Corporation International | $4.37 billion | 2.53 | $542.61 million | $3.83 | 21.16 |
| Grand Canyon Education | $1.14 billion | 3.46 | $216.17 million | $8.27 | 18.32 |
Service Corporation International has higher revenue and earnings than Grand Canyon Education. Grand Canyon Education is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Service Corporation International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
Service Corporation International beats Grand Canyon Education on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Service Corporation International
Service Corp. International engages in the provision of funeral goods and services. It operates through the Funeral and Cemetery segments. The Funeral segment offers services related to cremations, including the use of home facilities and motor vehicles, arranging and directing services, removal, preparation, embalming, memorialization, and catering. The Cemetery segment provides property interment rights, including lawn crypts, mausoleum spaces, niches, and interment options. The company was founded by Robert L. Waltrip in July 1962 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.
About Grand Canyon Education
Grand Canyon Education, Inc. provides education services to colleges and universities in the United States. It offers technology services, including learning management system, internal administration, infrastructure, and support services; academic services, such as program and curriculum, faculty and related training and development, class scheduling, and skills and simulation lab sites; and counseling services and support services comprising admission, financial aid, and field experience and other counseling services. The company also offers marketing and communication services that include lead acquisition, digital communications strategy, brand identity, media planning and strategy, video, business intelligence and data science, and market research services; and back-office services consisting of finance and accounting, human resources, audit, and procurement services. In addition, it provides education services to 25 university partners. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.
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