Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Raises Stake in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) by 448.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 101,830 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 83,277 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned 0.07% of Service Co. International worth $8,128,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in shares of Service Co. International by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 27,570 shares of the company's stock worth $2,161,000 after purchasing an additional 2,770 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Service Co. International during the third quarter valued at $251,000. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in Service Co. International by 2.5% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 35,065 shares of the company's stock worth $2,768,000 after acquiring an additional 845 shares in the last quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd grew its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 17.3% in the third quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd now owns 8,623 shares of the company's stock worth $681,000 after acquiring an additional 1,272 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 94.5% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 123,375 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,738,000 after acquiring an additional 59,956 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

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Service Co. International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SCI traded down $1.55 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $73.54. 1,710,881 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,011,085. Service Co. International has a one year low of $67.19 and a one year high of $89.37. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $78.78 and a 200 day moving average of $80.10. The company has a market cap of $10.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.52.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.06. Service Co. International had a net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 32.18%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. This is a boost 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 36.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SCI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Service Co. International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $88.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.29, for a total value of $515,385.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 46,824 shares in the company, valued at $3,712,674.96. This represents a 12.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of Service Co. International stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 982,333 shares in the company, valued at $83,066,078.48. This trade represents a 4.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 5.10% of the company's stock.

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.