Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Shares Acquired by Sterling Capital Management LLC

Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 55.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 8,454 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,016 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $675,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SCI. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Service Co. International by 94.5% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 123,375 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,738,000 after purchasing an additional 59,956 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in Service Co. International by 33.2% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 6,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $557,000 after acquiring an additional 1,594 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in Service Co. International by 4,977.3% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 155,567 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,279,000 after acquiring an additional 152,503 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Service Co. International by 263.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 15,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,206,000 after acquiring an additional 11,530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Service Co. International by 20.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,110 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com raised Service Co. International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Service Co. International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $88.50.

Insider Activity at Service Co. International

In other Service Co. International news, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.29, for a total value of $515,385.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 46,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,712,674.96. The trade was a 12.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.56, for a total value of $4,228,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 982,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $83,066,078.48. This represents a 4.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Service Co. International Stock Performance

NYSE:SCI opened at $76.69 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $78.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.60, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81. 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 has a 1-year low of $67.19 and a 1-year high of $89.37.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.06. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 32.18% and a net margin of 12.39%. Analysts forecast that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.67%. This is an increase from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.