Barclays PLC Buys 30,196 Shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Barclays PLC increased its position in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) by 24.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 153,571 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 30,196 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.11% of Service Co. International worth $12,257,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SCI. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Service Co. International by 70.2% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,901,982 shares of the company's stock worth $550,916,000 after acquiring an additional 2,846,159 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Service Co. International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $96,498,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in Service Co. International by 237.8% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 911,294 shares of the company's stock valued at $72,739,000 after buying an additional 641,552 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Service Co. International by 8,471.3% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 297,253 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,727,000 after buying an additional 293,785 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Service Co. International by 231.1% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 385,472 shares of the company's stock worth $30,768,000 after acquiring an additional 269,043 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Service Co. International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SCI traded down $0.47 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $78.48. 1,100,931 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,037,789. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.52. Service Co. International has a one year low of $67.19 and a one year high of $89.37. The company has a market cap of $11.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $78.80 and a 200 day moving average of $80.07.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share (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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Service Co. International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. Service Co. International's payout ratio is currently 36.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Service Co. International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $88.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.56, for a total transaction of $4,228,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 982,333 shares of the company's stock, valued at $83,066,078.48. This represents a 4.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was 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 directly owns 46,824 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,712,674.96. The trade was a 12.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 4.40% of the company's stock.

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.