Service Corporation International (SCI) stock has lifted over the past year, rising 21.5%.
And the provider of professional services for funerals and cremations could rise even more due to strong sales and earnings. But another likely reason is Big Money lifting the stock.
So, what’s Big Money? Said simply, that’s when a stock goes up in price alongside chunky volumes. It’s indicative of institutions betting on the shares.
Smart money managers are always looking for the next hot stock. And Service Corporation International has many fundamental qualities that are attractive.
This sets up well for the stock going forward. But how the shares have been trading points to more upside. As I’ll show you, the Big Money has been consistent in the shares.
You see, fund managers are always looking to bet on the next outlier stocks…the best in class. They spend countless hours sizing up companies, reading reports, speaking to analysts…you name it. When they find a company firing on all cylinders, they pounce in a big way.
That’s why I’ve learned how critical it is to gauge Big Money demand for shares. To show you what I mean, have a look at all the Big Money signals SCI has made the last year.
The last few weeks have seen Big Money activity, too. Each green bar signals big trading volumes as the stock ramped in price:
Source: www.mapsignals.com
In the last year, the stock attracted 21 Big Money buy signals. Generally speaking, recent green bars could mean more upside is ahead.
Now, let’s check out technical action grabbing my attention:
Outperformance is important for leading stocks.
Next, it’s a good idea to check under the hood. Meaning, I want to make sure the fundamental story is strong too. As you can see, Service Corporation International has been growing sales and earnings at double-digit rates. Take a look:
Source: FactSet
Marrying great fundamentals with technically superior stocks is a winning recipe over the long-term.
In fact, SCI has been a top-rated stock at my research firm, MAPsignals, for years. That means the stock has buy pressure, strong technicals, and growing fundamentals. We have a ranking process that showcases stocks like this on a weekly basis.
SCI has a lot of qualities that are attracting Big Money. It’s made the Top 20 report seven times since 2014, with its first appearance on 03/30/2015…and gaining 174.4% since. The blue bar below shows when Service Corporation International was a top pick:
Source: www.mapsignals.com
It’s been a top stock in the consumer staples sector according to the MAPsignals process. I wouldn’t be surprised if SCI makes additional appearances in the years to come. Let’s tie this all together.
The Service Corporation International rally could have further to go. Big Money buying in the shares is signaling to take notice. Shares could be positioned for further upside, plus it pays a 1.4% current dividend. Given the historical gains in share price and strong fundamentals, this stock could be worth a spot in a diversified portfolio.
Disclosure: the author holds no positions in SCI at the time of publication.
Learn more about the MAPsignals process here.
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Jason is a seasoned equity investor and quantitative analyst. He is currently co-founder of research and analytics firm, MAPsignals.com, focusing on identifying outlier stocks by following the Big Money.