KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Takes Position in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 34,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,786,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 263.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 15,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,206,000 after buying an additional 11,530 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Service Co. International by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,211,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $253,567,000 after purchasing an additional 156,086 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Service Co. International by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 185,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,348,000 after purchasing an additional 3,375 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Service Co. International by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 920,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,452,000 after purchasing an additional 5,074 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of Service Co. International in the fourth quarter worth $3,229,000. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE SCI opened at $79.94 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $78.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $80.20. Service Co. International has a twelve month low of $67.19 and a twelve month high of $89.37. The company has a market capitalization of $11.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.52, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.90.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 32.18% and a net margin of 12.39%. Research analysts forecast that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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 (DPR) is presently 36.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of Service Co. International 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 transaction, the director now owns 46,824 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,712,674.96. The trade was a 12.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 982,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $83,066,078.48. This represents a 4.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Service Co. International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $88.50.

Service Co. International Company Profile

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.