Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Sells 78,622 Shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp decreased its position in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 9.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 766,741 shares of the company’s stock after selling 78,622 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned approximately 0.53% of Service Co. International worth $61,201,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised 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 buying an additional 11,530 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Service Co. International by 5.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,211,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $253,567,000 after acquiring an additional 156,086 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 185,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,348,000 after acquiring an additional 3,375 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 920,222 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,452,000 after acquiring an additional 5,074 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Service Co. International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,229,000. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE:SCI opened at $78.51 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.90. Service Co. International has a 52 week low of $67.19 and a 52 week high of $89.37. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $78.71 and a 200 day moving average of $80.20.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 32.18%. On average, research analysts predict that Service Co. International will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This is a positive change 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 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SCI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer lifted their target price 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. StockNews.com cut Service Co. International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Service Co. International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of Service Co. International stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 982,333 shares in the company, valued at $83,066,078.48. The trade was a 4.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now owns 46,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,712,674.96. This trade represents a 12.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

About Service Co. International

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.