Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Shares Sold by Ascent Wealth Partners LLC

Ascent Wealth Partners LLC lessened its stake in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 8,798 shares of the company’s stock after selling 150 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $702,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 263.1% during the third 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. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 12.0% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 181,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,358,000 after acquiring an additional 19,418 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 7,802.1% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 7,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $599,000 after acquiring an additional 7,490 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Service Co. International by 5.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,211,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $253,567,000 after buying an additional 156,086 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Premier Fund Managers Ltd increased its holdings in Service Co. International by 23.9% in the third quarter. Premier Fund Managers Ltd now owns 1,093,723 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,721,000 after buying an additional 210,802 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE:SCI opened at $78.97 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.39 billion, a PE ratio of 22.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $78.80 and a 200-day moving average of $79.68. Service Co. International has a 52 week low of $67.19 and a 52 week high of $89.37. 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 earnings results 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 return on equity of 32.18% and a net margin of 12.39%. Analysts predict that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Service Co. International’s payout ratio is currently 33.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SCI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Service Co. International from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Service Co. International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Service Co. International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $88.50.

Service Co. International 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.