Banco Santander S.A. Decreases Stake in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Banco Santander S.A. trimmed its position in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 0.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 82,872 shares of the company’s stock after selling 670 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A. owned about 0.06% of Service Co. International worth $6,541,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCI. Select Equity Group L.P. raised its holdings in Service Co. International by 53.5% during the second quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 7,239,783 shares of the company’s stock worth $514,966,000 after purchasing an additional 2,524,795 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in Service Co. International during the 1st quarter worth approximately $224,137,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Service Co. International by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,942,559 shares of the company’s stock valued at $138,183,000 after buying an additional 135,017 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 3.5% in the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 1,810,148 shares of the company’s stock valued at $142,875,000 after acquiring an additional 61,838 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Premier Fund Managers Ltd increased its position in Service Co. International by 23.9% during the 3rd quarter. Premier Fund Managers Ltd now owns 1,093,723 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,721,000 after purchasing an additional 210,802 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Price Performance

Service Co. International stock opened at $86.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.91, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.83. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $79.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.51. Service Co. International has a 12-month low of $60.23 and a 12-month high of $88.32.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.79. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 31.84% and a net margin of 12.19%. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.78 EPS. Service Co. International’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Service Co. International will post 3.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a positive change from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio is 34.88%.

Insider Activity at Service Co. International

In other news, VP Elisabeth G. Nash sold 56,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.13, for a total value of $4,831,893.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 109,260 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,410,563.80. This trade represents a 33.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 5.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Service Co. International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Service Co. International from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Service Co. International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.25.

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.