Service corp

What do the more experienced among you say? Are there any titles on my list that are worth keeping? Do you see any gross misjudgments? Do you have any suggestions for improvement?

Thanks in advance.

Kate💎 🙌.

@Iwanowitsch

2Mon·

Hey everyone,

I'm currently facing the challenge of reducing my portfolio from 77 to a maximum of 30 shares in order to get a better overview and focus my strategy. But I'm not sure how best to proceed.

Should I:

Sell the stocks that have done badly as they are obviously not performing well?
Or should I rather sell the ones that have performed best in order to take profits before things go downhill?
Or simply sell the 40 smallest positions? But there are also many interesting stocks in there that might be worth expanding.
Or simply sell everything that is heavily weighted in the MSCI World and thus reduce the cluster risk?

Perhaps there is a better approach? What do you look for when reducing your positions? Diversification, dividend yield, or simply the size of the individual positions in relation to the overall portfolio? I look forward to your opinions and tips!

Thanks in advance!

77Positions

15.75%

23 Comments

Soprano@Soprano

2Mon

That doesn't make sense, no. If you are already investing in individual stocks, why are you throwing out the best ones to go into "speculative growth stocks"?
The same applies to the healthcare sector. If you don't understand the established players, in what constellation do you understand those that are difficult to assess anyway? Defensive stocks are out ... because they are defensive? And AMD is not a "turnaround candidate" - you simply bought far too expensively.

All in all, it gives the impression that you don't really understand individual stocks, i.e. which stocks to buy why and how to value the companies in the first place. I also don't know if you're interested in learning, otherwise you should probably just stick to ETFs (I'm very reluctant to recommend that).

But what it shouldn't be, at least, is that you look at individual stocks as something where you pick the ones that tell a nice story in the hope that you're going to beat the market big time.

•

John

@Doe

4Mon·

$SCI (-1.71%)

"We help celebrate lives that have been lived and preserve memories that transcend generations with dignity and honor."

At least that's Service Corporation's slogan, and welcome to a brief introduction to the company.

What is SCI?

The story begins in 1962 as a family-owned and operated funeral home in Houston, Texas. Through the visionary leadership of founder and Chairman Emeritus Robert L. Waltrip, SCI is now North America's largest provider of funeral, cemetery and cremation services. Throughout its history, the company has operated with one guiding purpose - to provide compassionate care to families during difficult times.

Mr. Waltrip envisioned a company with streamlined operations and reduced overhead that would enhance the quality of services provided to families. After the plan proved effective in Houston in the early 1960s, Mr. Waltrip and a small group of employees set out to apply this strategy through acquisitions in other markets. This began a decade-long expansion to create a network of more than 1,900 funeral home, cemetery and crematory locations across North America.

In 2000, SCI reevaluated its long-term strategy and streamlined its operating and organizational structure to reduce expenses, lower debt and increase cash flow. Over the next several years, the company acquired Alderwoods Group, Keystone North America, The Neptune Society, Inc. and Stewart Enterprises, Inc. expanding its geographic footprint to 44 states, the District of Columbia and eight Canadian provinces.

As a company with solid financials, exclusive products and customer benefits, and best-in-class policies, training and professional standards, we are uniquely positioned to provide compassionate care and service excellence to families across North America for generations to come.

Short and sweet !

Service Corporation International (SCI) is North America's largest provider of funeral and cemetery services, with shares trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SCI. The company was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. We currently own and operate more than 1,900 funeral homes and cemeteries in 44 states, eight Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Important information for the 2nd quarter

Revenue grew by 20.6 million dollars in the second quarter of 2023
Earnings per share were $0.81 compared to $0.86 in the second quarter of 2023
Adjusted earnings per share amounted to $0.79 compared to $0.83 in the second quarter of 2023
Net cash provided by operating activities was $196.9 million in the current year quarter compared to $144.1 million in the prior year quarter
Net assets provided by operating activities excluding special items amounted to 219.9 million dollars in the current year quarter, compared to 157.4 million dollars in the prior year quarter.
Comparable core funeral home sales production increased $9.7 million, or 4.0%, in the current quarter
Comparable core funeral sales increased 1.3% in the current quarter

Source: sci-corp.com