Marshall Wace LLP Boosts Holdings in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI – Get Rating) by 280.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 81,521 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 60,121 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $4,705,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of SCI. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Service Co. International by 10.2% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 11,544 shares of the company’s stock worth $760,000 after buying an additional 1,068 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in Service Co. International by 15.6% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 6,840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 922 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in Service Co. International by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $544,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in Service Co. International by 38.1% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 32,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,135,000 after purchasing an additional 8,901 shares during the last quarter. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. grew its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 30.1% during the first quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 17,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,047,000 after buying an additional 4,100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.68% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Stock Performance

Shares of Service Co. International stock opened at $63.74 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.54, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.45. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $69.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.80. The company has a market cap of $9.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.16, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.78. Service Co. International has a one year low of $56.85 and a one year high of $75.11.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 15th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.12. Service Co. International had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 34.56%. The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $974.69 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.17 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Service Co. International will post 3.53 EPS for the current year.

Service Co. International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 14th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.77%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 2,836 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.95, for a total value of $201,214.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 962,409 shares in the company, valued at $68,282,918.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, VP Steven A. Tidwell sold 6,705 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.28, for a total value of $471,227.40. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 52,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,663,345. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 2,836 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.95, for a total transaction of $201,214.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 962,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $68,282,918.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 38,741 shares of company stock valued at $2,677,606. 5.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Credit Suisse Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Service Co. International in a research note on Thursday, February 16th.

Service Co. International Profile

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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.