Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Shares Purchased by Bell Asset Management Ltd

Bell Asset Management Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) by 16.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 75,347 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,433 shares during the quarter. Bell Asset Management Ltd owned approximately 0.05% of Service Co. International worth $6,014,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in Service Co. International by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 11,248 shares of the company's stock worth $888,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in Service Co. International by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 3,587 shares of the company's stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its position in Service Co. International by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 5,167 shares of the company's stock valued at $412,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Service Co. International by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,438 shares of the company's stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. Finally, Stanley Laman Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 40,098 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,201,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com raised Service Co. International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $88.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.56, for a total value of $4,228,000.00. Following the completion of 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 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 Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SCI traded up $2.91 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $78.04. 1,950,205 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,023,383. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.48. Service Co. International has a 1 year low of $67.19 and a 1 year high of $89.37. The company's 50-day moving average is $78.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.00. The company has a market capitalization of $11.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.98, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.06. Service Co. International had a net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 32.18%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost 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.