2Xideas AG Has $2.40 Million Position in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

2Xideas AG lessened its holdings in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 72.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,060 shares of the company’s stock after selling 77,811 shares during the period. 2Xideas AG’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $2,399,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Service Co. International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new position in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of Service Co. International during the fourth quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Service Co. International in the 4th quarter valued at $60,000. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Stock Performance

Service Co. International stock opened at $77.06 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $79.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $80.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81. 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 has a 12-month low of $67.19 and a 12-month high of $89.37.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 anticipate that Service Co. International will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This is a boost from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on SCI. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Service Co. International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given 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 at Service Co. International

In other Service Co. International news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.56, for a total transaction of $4,228,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 982,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,066,078.48. This represents a 4.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of Service Co. International 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 sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.