Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Shares Sold by Sepio Capital LP

Sepio Capital LP decreased its position in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,193 shares of the company’s stock after selling 211 shares during the quarter. Sepio Capital LP’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $654,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SCI. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Service Co. International by 231.1% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 385,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,768,000 after buying an additional 269,043 shares during the period. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Service Co. International during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Service Co. International during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Service Co. International in the 4th quarter valued at about $340,000. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Service Co. International in the 4th quarter worth about $250,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on SCI shares. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Service Co. International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $88.50.

Insider Transactions at Service Co. International

In other news, 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 value of $515,385.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 46,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,712,674.96. This represents a 12.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SCI opened at $77.06 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $79.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81. Service Co. International has a 52 week low of $67.19 and a 52 week high of $89.37.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Service Co. International will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.32 dividend. 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. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.06%.

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.