Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Takes $650,000 Position in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board acquired a new stake in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 8,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $650,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC grew its position in Service Co. International by 94.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 123,375 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,738,000 after buying an additional 59,956 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 33.2% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 6,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $557,000 after acquiring an additional 1,594 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 4,977.3% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 155,567 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,279,000 after acquiring an additional 152,503 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 263.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 15,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,206,000 after acquiring an additional 11,530 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Service Co. International by 20.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,110 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Service Co. International

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Service Co. International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.50.

Service Co. International Stock Performance

Shares of SCI opened at $76.69 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. Service Co. International has a 52-week low of $67.19 and a 52-week high of $89.37. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $78.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $79.98. The company has a market capitalization of $11.05 billion, a PE ratio of 21.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio is 36.06%.

About Service Co. International

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.