1,208,945 Shares in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Bought by Norges Bank

Norges Bank purchased 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 (SEC). The fund purchased 1,208,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $96,498,000. Norges Bank owned about 0.84% of Service Co. International as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 11.2% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 27,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,161,000 after purchasing an additional 2,770 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in Service Co. International in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,208,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Service Co. International during the 3rd quarter worth $251,000. National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in Service Co. International by 2.5% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 35,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,768,000 after acquiring an additional 845 shares in the last quarter. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd increased its position in Service Co. International by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd now owns 8,623 shares of the company’s stock worth $681,000 after purchasing an additional 1,272 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. 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 downgraded shares of Service Co. International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $88.50.

Service Co. International Stock Performance

Shares of SCI opened at $80.89 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $79.04 and a 200-day moving average of $80.23. The company has a market cap of $11.67 billion, a PE ratio of 22.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.48. Service Co. International has a one year low of $67.19 and a one year high of $89.37.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last released 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 net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 32.18%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.06%.

Insider Activity at Service Co. International

In related news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 982,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $83,066,078.48. The trade was a 4.84 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.