Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Position Raised by Bell Asset Management Ltd

Bell Asset Management Ltd lifted its position in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 16.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 75,347 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 10,433 shares during the period. Bell Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $6,014,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Service Co. International during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Service Co. International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Service Co. International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in Service Co. International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Service Co. International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Stock Down 5.3 %

Shares of SCI stock opened at $77.06 on Monday. 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 quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.52. The business’s fifty day moving average is $79.19 and its 200-day moving average is $80.22. The stock has a market cap of $11.10 billion, a PE ratio of 21.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 32.18% and a net margin of 12.39%. Equities analysts expect 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.32 dividend. 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 dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Service Co. International’s payout ratio is presently 36.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on SCI shares. StockNews.com upgraded Service Co. International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Service Co. International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $88.50.

Insider Activity at Service Co. International

In related news, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of Service Co. International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.29, for a total value of $515,385.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 46,824 shares in the company, valued at $3,712,674.96. The trade was a 12.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.56, for a total value 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 trade represents a 4.84 % 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 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.