36,293 Shares in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Acquired by Stanley Laman Group Ltd.

Stanley Laman Group Ltd. acquired a new position in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 36,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,484,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Service Co. International during the third quarter worth $36,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its stake in Service Co. International by 204.1% during the fourth quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 599 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Service Co. International by 125.5% during the fourth quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 902 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 502 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Service Co. International by 45.4% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,224 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter worth $72,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Service Co. International Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE SCI traded up $0.90 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $71.74. The company had a trading volume of 613,309 shares, compared to its average volume of 820,952. The company has a market capitalization of $10.51 billion, a PE ratio of 20.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.02, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Service Co. International has a 1-year low of $52.89 and a 1-year high of $75.97. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $72.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.52.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 32.88% and a net margin of 13.11%. Service Co. International’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.92 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Service Co. International will post 3.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio is 32.95%.

Insider Activity at Service Co. International

In other Service Co. International news, VP Steven A. Tidwell sold 45,995 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.43, for a total transaction of $3,469,402.85. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 54,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,099,922.22. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 16,580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.20, for a total transaction of $1,197,076.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 988,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,359,953. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Steven A. Tidwell sold 45,995 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.43, for a total value of $3,469,402.85. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 54,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,099,922.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 202,675 shares of company stock valued at $15,066,906 over the last quarter. 5.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on SCI shares. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Service Co. International from $71.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Service Co. International from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $75.00.

Service Co. International Company Profile

Service Corporation International provides deathcare products and services in the United States and Canada. Its funeral service and cemetery operations comprise funeral service locations, cemeteries, funeral service/cemetery combination locations, crematoria, and other businesses. The company also provides professional services related to funerals and cremations, including the use of funeral home facilities and motor vehicles; arranging and directing services; and removal, preparation, embalming, cremation, memorialization, and travel protection, as well as catering services.