Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP trimmed its stake in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) by 5.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,794,520 shares of the company's stock after selling 110,904 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 1.24% of Service Co. International worth $143,240,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position 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 in the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Service Co. International during the 4th quarter worth about $340,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Service Co. International by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 185,277 shares of the company's stock worth $14,348,000 after acquiring an additional 3,375 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Service Co. International by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 920,222 shares of the company's stock worth $73,452,000 after acquiring an additional 5,074 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Service Co. International during the 4th quarter worth about $3,229,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Service Co. International

In other Service Co. International 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 46,824 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,712,674.96. This represents a 12.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were 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 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. 4.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Service Co. International Stock Performance

Shares of Service Co. International stock traded up $0.45 on Tuesday, hitting $80.15. The stock had a trading volume of 866,093 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,038,828. Service Co. International has a 52-week low of $67.19 and a 52-week high of $89.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. The stock has a market cap of $11.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81. The company's 50 day moving average price is $78.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.18.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share 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, research analysts anticipate that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Service Co. International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. Service Co. International's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.06%.

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.