Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Stake Cut by Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC cut its position in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 27.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,470 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,627 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $854,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Service Co. International Price Performance

Shares of SCI opened at $70.10 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.90, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.62. Service Co. International has a one year low of $52.89 and a one year high of $75.97. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $71.23 and its 200-day moving average is $68.59.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 12.73%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.93 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Service Co. International will post 3.66 EPS for the current year.

Service Co. International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. Service Co. International’s payout ratio is currently 33.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Steven A. Tidwell sold 45,995 shares of Service Co. International 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 directly owns 54,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,099,922.22. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Victor L. Lund sold 7,606 shares of Service Co. International stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total transaction of $532,420.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Steven A. Tidwell sold 45,995 shares of Service Co. International 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 $4,099,922.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 211,292 shares of company stock valued at $15,670,096 over the last three months. Company insiders own 4.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on SCI shares. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Service Co. International from $71.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. UBS Group increased their target price on Service Co. International from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Service Co. International has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $76.20.

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.