GeoWealth Management LLC Invests $53,000 in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

GeoWealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCI. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 263.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 15,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,206,000 after purchasing an additional 11,530 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Service Co. International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $340,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Service Co. International by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 185,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,348,000 after buying an additional 3,375 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Service Co. International by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 920,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,452,000 after acquiring an additional 5,074 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Service Co. International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,229,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Service Co. International Price Performance

Shares of Service Co. International stock opened at $78.48 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81. Service Co. International has a one year low of $67.19 and a one year high of $89.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $78.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $80.04.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last posted its quarterly 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%. Analysts forecast that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 dividend yield of 1.63%. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Service Co. International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Service Co. International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $88.50.

Insider Activity at Service Co. International

In other news, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.29, for a total transaction of $515,385.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 46,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,712,674.96. The trade was a 12.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 $83,066,078.48. The trade was a 4.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.