Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Shares Sold by DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lessened its holdings in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 79.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,305 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,156 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $89,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of SCI. Quarry LP grew its holdings in Service Co. International by 282.2% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 493 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Service Co. International during the third quarter worth $36,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its holdings in Service Co. International by 204.1% during the fourth quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 599 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Service Co. International during the first quarter worth $44,000. Finally, M&R Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Service Co. International by 125.5% during the fourth quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 902 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 502 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of SCI stock opened at $68.51 on Thursday. Service Co. International has a fifty-two week low of $52.89 and a fifty-two week high of $75.97. The stock has a market cap of $10.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.81. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.02.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 32.88% and a net margin of 13.11%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Service Co. International will post 3.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This is a boost from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 75,000 shares of Service Co. International stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.53, for a total transaction of $5,514,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 988,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $72,674,478.45. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Service Co. International news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 75,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.53, for a total value of $5,514,750.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 988,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $72,674,478.45. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Steven A. Tidwell sold 45,995 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.43, for a total value of $3,469,402.85. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 54,354 shares in the company, valued at $4,099,922.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 202,675 shares of company stock worth $15,066,906. 4.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on SCI shares. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Service Co. International from $71.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. UBS Group raised their price target on Service Co. International from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Service Co. International has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $75.00.

About Service Co. International

Service Corporation International provides deathcare products and services in the United States and Canada. Its funeral service and cemetery operations comprise funeral service locations, cemeteries, funeral service/cemetery combination locations, crematoria, and other businesses. The company also provides professional services related to funerals and cremations, including the use of funeral home facilities and motor vehicles; arranging and directing services; and removal, preparation, embalming, cremation, memorialization, and travel protection, as well as catering services.