Premier Fund Managers Ltd Boosts Stock Position in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Premier Fund Managers Ltd raised its position in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,133,845 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 40,122 shares during the period. Service Co. International accounts for 3.2% of Premier Fund Managers Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Premier Fund Managers Ltd’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $90,521,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in Service Co. International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in Service Co. International in the fourth quarter valued at $60,000. Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 110,300.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,000 after acquiring an additional 1,103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 20.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,397 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on SCI. StockNews.com cut Service Co. International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Service Co. International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $88.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Service Co. International

In other Service Co. International news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.56, for a total transaction of $4,228,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 982,333 shares in the company, valued at $83,066,078.48. This represents a 4.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.29, for a total transaction of $515,385.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 46,824 shares in the company, valued at $3,712,674.96. The trade was a 12.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:SCI opened at $80.19 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $78.85 and its 200 day moving average is $80.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.90. Service Co. International has a 1 year low of $67.19 and a 1 year high of $89.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06. Service Co. International had a net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 32.18%. On average, research analysts predict that Service Co. International will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. Service Co. International’s payout ratio is 36.06%.

Service Co. International 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.