Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Shares Acquired by Tower Research Capital LLC TRC

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) by 380.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,804 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,764 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Service Co. International were worth $783,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCI. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 94.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 123,375 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,738,000 after buying an additional 59,956 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Service Co. International by 4,977.3% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 155,567 shares of the company's stock worth $12,279,000 after acquiring an additional 152,503 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Service Co. International by 263.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 15,912 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,206,000 after acquiring an additional 11,530 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 20.8% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,110 shares of the company's stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Service Co. International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $307,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity at Service Co. International

In other news, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the business'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 sale, the director now owns 46,824 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,712,674.96. The trade was a 12.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 982,333 shares of the company's stock, valued at $83,066,078.48. This represents a 4.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Service Co. International Price Performance

NYSE SCI opened at $78.48 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $78.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $80.07. Service Co. International has a 52 week low of $67.19 and a 52 week high of $89.37. The stock has a market cap of $11.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 32.18% and a net margin of 12.39%. Analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. This is an increase from Service Co. International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Service Co. International's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.06%.

About Service Co. International

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SCI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.