6,840 Shares in Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) Purchased by Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC

Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 6,840 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $549,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Service Corporation International by 20.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,539 shares of the company's stock valued at $204,000 after buying an additional 429 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Service Corporation International during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $869,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in Service Corporation International by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 9,966 shares of the company's stock valued at $799,000 after purchasing an additional 689 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Service Corporation International during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $3,373,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Service Corporation International by 136.1% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 782,429 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,751,000 after purchasing an additional 451,068 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Tony Coelho sold 5,400 shares of Service Corporation International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.94, for a total value of $410,076.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 43,938 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,336,651.72. This trade represents a 10.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 4.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on SCI. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Service Corporation International from $90.00 to $88.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Service Corporation 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $89.25.

Service Corporation International Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of Service Corporation International stock traded down $0.90 on Thursday, reaching $80.76. 851,299 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,061,356. The company has a market capitalization of $11.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.92. Service Corporation International has a 52 week low of $68.84 and a 52 week high of $89.37. The firm's 50-day moving average is $78.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.51.

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.06 billion. Service Corporation International had a return on equity of 32.35% and a net margin of 12.58%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.89 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Service Corporation International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Corporation International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. Service Corporation International's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.16%.

Service Corporation 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.