Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Shares Sold by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System cut its holdings in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 0.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 262,096 shares of the company’s stock after selling 257 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System owned 0.18% of Service Co. International worth $17,940,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SCI. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Service Co. International during the 3rd quarter worth $14,350,000. Coho Partners Ltd. increased its position in Service Co. International by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. Coho Partners Ltd. now owns 1,899,165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,518,000 after acquiring an additional 238,439 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in Service Co. International by 47.7% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 608,961 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,796,000 after acquiring an additional 196,739 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in Service Co. International by 163.7% during the 3rd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 309,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,792,000 after acquiring an additional 192,119 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 944,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,374,000 after purchasing an additional 123,837 shares during the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Service Co. International

In related news, VP Steven A. Tidwell sold 45,995 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 54,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,099,922.22. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Service Co. International news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 16,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.20, for a total value of $1,197,076.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 988,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,359,953. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Steven A. Tidwell sold 45,995 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.43, for a total transaction of $3,469,402.85. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 54,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,099,922.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 202,675 shares of company stock valued at $15,066,906 in the last quarter. 4.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Service Co. International Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of SCI stock opened at $72.93 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $72.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.68 billion, a PE ratio of 20.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.02, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Service Co. International has a 1-year low of $52.89 and a 1-year high of $75.97.

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

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.65%. This is an increase from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.95%.

Service Co. International Company Profile

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.