Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Buys 11,367 Shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) by 21.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 64,258 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,367 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Service Co. International were worth $5,129,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Service Co. International by 94.5% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 123,375 shares of the company's stock worth $9,738,000 after acquiring an additional 59,956 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 263.1% in 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 during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 20.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,110 shares of the company's stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of Service Co. International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $307,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter worth $3,229,000. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Service Co. International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SCI traded up $0.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $75.74. 1,045,569 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,053,319. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $78.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $80.21. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $10.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.96. Service Co. International has a 52 week low of $68.51 and a 52 week high of $89.37.

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

Service Co. International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. Service Co. International's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.16%.

Insider Activity

In other Service Co. International 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 sale, the director now owns 46,824 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,712,674.96. The trade was a 12.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 61,900 shares of company stock valued at $5,153,461 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 4.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on SCI shares. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Service Co. International from $90.00 to $88.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. 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 analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Service Co. International currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.25.

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.