Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Shares Sold by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 32.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 247,231 shares of the company’s stock after selling 118,218 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.17% of Service Co. International worth $19,734,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. M&T Bank Corp grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 3,587 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of Service Co. International by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 5,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $412,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,438 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. Finally, Stanley Laman Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Service Co. International by 0.5% in 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 and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Stock Performance

Shares of Service Co. International stock opened at $79.81 on Monday. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $78.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.90.

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

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio is 36.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on SCI shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Service Co. International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.