19,191 Shares in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Purchased by Nomura Holdings Inc.

Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 19,191 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,532,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of SCI. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 3,587 shares of the company's stock worth $286,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in Service Co. International by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 5,167 shares of the company's stock worth $412,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in Service Co. International by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 3,729 shares of the company's stock valued at $298,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in Service Co. International by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,438 shares of the company's stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stanley Laman Group Ltd. raised its position in Service Co. International by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 40,098 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,201,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Service Co. International Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE SCI traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $76.55. The company had a trading volume of 274,502 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,062,823. The stock has a market cap of $10.90 billion, a PE ratio of 21.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.96. Service Co. International has a one year low of $68.82 and a one year high of $89.37. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $77.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.05. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 32.18% and a net margin of 12.39%. The business had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Service Co. International will post 3.84 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Service Co. International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Service Co. International news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 982,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,066,078.48. This trade represents a 4.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Tony Coelho sold 5,400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.94, for a total value of $410,076.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 43,938 shares in the company, valued at $3,336,651.72. This trade represents a 10.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 61,900 shares of company stock valued at $5,153,461 in the last quarter. Insiders own 4.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SCI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Service Co. International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. UBS Group dropped their target price on Service Co. International from $90.00 to $88.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.