Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Stake Reduced by Ameriprise Financial Inc.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) by 64.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 278,720 shares of the company's stock after selling 499,243 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned about 0.19% of Service Co. International worth $22,247,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Service Co. International during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Quarry LP lifted its position in Service Co. International by 359.8% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 469 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new stake in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Service Co. International in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Service Co. International during the 4th quarter worth about $52,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Service Co. International news, Director Tony Coelho sold 5,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.94, for a total transaction of $410,076.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 43,938 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,336,651.72. This represents a 10.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the 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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 61,900 shares of company stock valued at $5,153,461 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 4.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group lowered their target price on Service Co. International from $90.00 to $88.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Service Co. International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report 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, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $89.25.

Service Co. International Stock Up 0.2%

Service Co. International stock traded up $0.16 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $78.31. The company had a trading volume of 55,068 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,260,851. The business has a fifty day moving average of $77.83 and a 200 day moving average of $80.21. Service Co. International has a 1 year low of $68.51 and a 1 year high of $89.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. The stock has a market cap of $11.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.06, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.96.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 32.18% and a net margin of 12.39%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Service Co. International will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. Service Co. International's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.16%.

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.