Essential Planning LLC. Makes New Investment in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Essential Planning LLC. acquired a new position in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 15,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,249,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Great Lakes Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Service Co. International by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 26,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,126,000 after purchasing an additional 489 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of Service Co. International by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 35,357 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,822,000 after purchasing an additional 3,358 shares during the last quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new position in shares of Service Co. International during the 4th quarter worth about $191,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Service Co. International during the 4th quarter worth about $237,000. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Service Co. International by 482.0% during the 4th quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 15,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,236,000 after purchasing an additional 12,822 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other 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 value of $4,228,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 982,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $83,066,078.48. This represents a 4.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.29, for a total transaction of $515,385.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE SCI opened at $78.45 on Thursday. Service Co. International has a 12-month low of $67.19 and a 12-month high of $89.37. The stock has a market cap of $11.31 billion, a PE ratio of 22.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. The company has a 50-day moving average of $78.49 and a 200 day moving average of $80.14.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.06. Service Co. International had a net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 32.18%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on SCI. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Service Co. International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of 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 analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $88.50.

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.