Natixis Advisors LLC Cuts Stake in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Natixis Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 93,646 shares of the company’s stock after selling 894 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $7,475,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted 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 worth $1,206,000 after acquiring an additional 11,530 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Service Co. International by 5.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,211,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $253,567,000 after buying an additional 156,086 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in Service Co. International by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 185,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,348,000 after buying an additional 3,375 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Service Co. International by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 920,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,452,000 after buying an additional 5,074 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in Service Co. International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,229,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Service Co. International Trading Down 0.7 %

SCI opened at $78.72 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.90. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $78.60 and its 200-day moving average is $80.16. 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.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share (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%. Analysts expect that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. This is an increase from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.06%.

Insider Transactions at Service Co. International

In other news, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were 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 owns 46,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,712,674.96. This trade represents a 12.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of Service Co. International stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 982,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $83,066,078.48. This represents a 4.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 4.60% of the company’s stock.

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.