Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Boosts Stock Holdings in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 10.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 35,357 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,358 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $2,822,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 263.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 15,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,206,000 after purchasing an additional 11,530 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,211,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $253,567,000 after purchasing an additional 156,086 shares in the last quarter. Premier Fund Managers Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 23.9% during the 3rd quarter. Premier Fund Managers Ltd now owns 1,093,723 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,721,000 after purchasing an additional 210,802 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 185,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,348,000 after purchasing an additional 3,375 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in Service Co. International in the 4th quarter worth $3,229,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.29, for a total transaction of $515,385.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 46,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.56, for a total transaction of $4,228,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 982,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,066,078.48. The trade was a 4.84 % 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 Price Performance

Service Co. International stock opened at $78.55 on Friday. Service Co. International has a 52-week low of $67.19 and a 52-week high of $89.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.13, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.15. 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 (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 net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 32.18%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on SCI. StockNews.com lowered shares of Service Co. International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average 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.