Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Shares Sold by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System reduced its holdings in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 8.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,505 shares of the company’s stock after selling 651 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $599,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quest Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Service Co. International by 110,300.0% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,000 after acquiring an additional 1,103 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 26.1% in the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 5,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $412,000 after purchasing an additional 1,081 shares during the last quarter. Commerce Bank grew its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 16.3% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 8,897 shares of the company’s stock valued at $702,000 after buying an additional 1,248 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Service Co. International during the 3rd quarter worth $230,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Service Co. International by 53.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 51,863 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,094,000 after buying an additional 18,132 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Service Co. International Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE:SCI opened at $79.26 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $78.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.43 billion, a PE ratio of 22.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.90. Service Co. International has a 12 month low of $67.19 and a 12 month high of $89.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.06. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 32.18% and a net margin of 12.39%. Research analysts predict that Service Co. International will post 3.84 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. This is a positive change from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Service Co. International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Service Co. International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Service Co. International news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 $83,066,078.48. This represents a 4.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was 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 $3,712,674.96. The trade was a 12.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.