Smithfield Trust Co Decreases Stock Position in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Smithfield Trust Co decreased its holdings in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 13.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,602 shares of the company’s stock after selling 412 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $209,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC increased its position in Service Co. International by 300.6% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,055,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,126,000 after acquiring an additional 3,043,354 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Service Co. International by 8,471.3% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 297,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,727,000 after purchasing an additional 293,785 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its position in Service Co. International by 2,527.9% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 293,329 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,152,000 after purchasing an additional 282,167 shares during the period. Premier Fund Managers Ltd lifted its stake in Service Co. International by 23.9% in the third quarter. Premier Fund Managers Ltd now owns 1,093,723 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,721,000 after purchasing an additional 210,802 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 156,086 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Price Performance

NYSE:SCI opened at $79.17 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $78.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market cap of $11.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.30, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.90. Service Co. International has a one year low of $67.19 and a one year high of $89.37.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 32.18% and a net margin of 12.39%. Research analysts expect that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The business 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 $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Service Co. International’s payout ratio is presently 36.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SCI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com cut shares of Service Co. International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Service Co. International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $88.50.

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.