Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) is Premier Fund Managers Ltd’s 3rd Largest Position

Premier Fund Managers Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,133,845 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 40,122 shares during the period. Service Co. International accounts for approximately 3.2% of Premier Fund Managers Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Premier Fund Managers Ltd owned about 0.78% of Service Co. International worth $90,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC boosted its position in Service Co. International by 300.6% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,055,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,126,000 after buying an additional 3,043,354 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Service Co. International in the fourth quarter valued at $96,498,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Service Co. International by 8,471.3% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 297,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,727,000 after purchasing an additional 293,785 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC grew its position in shares of Service Co. International by 2,527.9% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 293,329 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,152,000 after acquiring an additional 282,167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Service Co. International in the fourth quarter valued at about $12,975,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Service Co. International

In other news, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were 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 owns 46,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,712,674.96. This represents a 12.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 982,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,066,078.48. This represents a 4.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE SCI opened at $80.19 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. Service Co. International has a 52-week low of $67.19 and a 52-week high of $89.37. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $78.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $80.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.59, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.90.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Service Co. International will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. This is a boost from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Service Co. International’s payout ratio is presently 36.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on SCI. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com cut shares of Service Co. International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $88.50.

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.