Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Stock Position Boosted by Premier Fund Managers Ltd

Premier Fund Managers Ltd raised its stake in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) by 23.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,093,723 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 210,802 shares during the quarter. Service Co. International comprises approximately 3.0% of Premier Fund Managers Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Premier Fund Managers Ltd owned about 0.76% of Service Co. International worth $85,721,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of SCI. nVerses Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 400 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Service Co. International by 121.9% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 708 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 389 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its position in Service Co. International by 258.6% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 789 shares of the company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares during the period. Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Service Co. International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Service Co. International in the 1st quarter worth approximately $65,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Service Co. International news, Director Ellen Ochoa sold 2,642 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.41, for a total transaction of $201,875.22. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 4.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on SCI shares. Truist Financial raised their price target on Service Co. International from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Service Co. International from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Service Co. International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $85.25.

Service Co. International Trading Down 0.7 %

SCI traded down $0.61 on Wednesday, reaching $85.33. 207,551 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 905,421. The company has a market cap of $12.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.83. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $79.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $75.44. Service Co. International has a one year low of $60.03 and a one year high of $88.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.91.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 31.84% and a net margin of 12.19%. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. The business's revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Service Co. International will post 3.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This is an increase from Service Co. International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Service Co. International's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Service Co. International Profile

Service Corporation International provides deathcare products and services in the United States and Canada. Its funeral service and cemetery operations comprise funeral service locations, cemeteries, funeral service/cemetery combination locations, crematoria, and other businesses. The company also provides professional services related to funerals and cremations, including the use of funeral home facilities and motor vehicles; arranging and directing services; and removal, preparation, embalming, cremation, memorialization, and travel protection, as well as catering services.