Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Shares Purchased by MetLife Investment Management LLC

MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 8.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 81,457 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,251 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned 0.06% of Service Co. International worth $6,502,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 70.2% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,901,982 shares of the company’s stock valued at $550,916,000 after purchasing an additional 2,846,159 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Service Co. International by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,239,331 shares of the company’s stock valued at $258,624,000 after buying an additional 27,429 shares during the period. Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in Service Co. International by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,950,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $235,471,000 after acquiring an additional 50,000 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Service Co. International by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,459,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,487,000 after acquiring an additional 118,832 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Service Co. International during the 4th quarter worth about $96,498,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Service Co. International

In related news, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the business’s 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 982,333 shares in the company, valued at $83,066,078.48. This trade represents a 4.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Service Co. International Price Performance

SCI stock opened at $79.54 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $78.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.01. Service Co. International has a 12-month low of $67.19 and a 12-month high of $89.37. The company has a market capitalization of $11.46 billion, a PE ratio of 22.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.06. Service Co. International had a net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 32.18%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.06%.

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.