Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) Shares Sold by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers cut its stake in shares of Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) by 10.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,116 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,811 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in Service Corporation International were worth $1,212,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Tranquility Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Service Corporation International by 1.7% in the first quarter. Tranquility Partners LLC now owns 8,060 shares of the company’s stock valued at $646,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Service Corporation International by 3.6% in the first quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Service Corporation International by 12.2% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Service Corporation International by 3.1% in the first quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,615 shares of the company’s stock worth $450,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Service Corporation International by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 5,301 shares of the company’s stock worth $425,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Service Corporation International Stock Up 1.4%

SCI stock opened at $80.52 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $79.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.56. Service Corporation International has a 12 month low of $71.75 and a 12 month high of $89.37. The company has a market cap of $11.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.19, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.56.

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.04. Service Corporation International had a net margin of 12.60% and a return on equity of 32.84%. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS. Service Corporation International’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Service Corporation International will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Service Corporation International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Service Corporation International’s dividend payout ratio is 34.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on SCI. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $90.00 price objective (up previously from $85.00) on shares of Service Corporation International in a research report on Monday, August 4th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Service Corporation International from $90.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Service Corporation International has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $90.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Sumner J. Waring III sold 56,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.57, for a total value of $4,295,577.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 295,192 shares in the company, valued at $22,602,851.44. This represents a 15.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 4.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Service Corporation International Company Profile

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.