Xponance Inc. Increases Holdings in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Xponance Inc. lifted its position in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,808 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 791 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $1,421,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of SCI. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Service Co. International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Service Co. International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Service Co. International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Service Co. International by 110,300.0% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,000 after buying an additional 1,103 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Service Co. International by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,397 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Stock Performance

Shares of SCI opened at $78.12 on Friday. Service Co. International has a 12 month low of $67.19 and a 12 month high of $89.37. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $78.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $80.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. The firm has a market cap of $11.27 billion, a PE ratio of 22.01, a P/E/G 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 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.06. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 32.18% and a net margin of 12.39%. Equities research analysts predict that Service Co. International will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.06%.

Insider Activity at Service Co. International

In related 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 46,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,712,674.96. This represents a 12.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction 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 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 982,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,066,078.48. The trade was a 4.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SCI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Service Co. International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Service Co. International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.