BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Cuts Stake in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lessened its stake in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 0.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 313,364 shares of the company’s stock after selling 288 shares during the quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $25,013,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Service Co. International in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Service Co. International in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Service Co. International in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC bought a new position in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Service Co. International Stock Performance

Service Co. International stock opened at $77.55 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $78.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $79.96. 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 market cap of $11.17 billion, a PE ratio of 21.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81. Service Co. International has a twelve month low of $67.19 and a twelve month high of $89.37.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.06. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 32.18% and a net margin of 12.39%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. This is a positive change from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Service Co. International’s payout ratio is presently 36.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Service Co. International

In other news, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the company’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 transaction of $515,385.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 46,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,712,674.96. This represents a 12.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 982,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Company insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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 given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.50.

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.