Nuveen Asset Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) by 30.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 365,256 shares of the company's stock after selling 162,951 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned about 0.25% of Service Co. International worth $29,155,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Service Co. International during the 4th quarter worth about $340,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Service Co. International by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 185,277 shares of the company's stock worth $14,348,000 after acquiring an additional 3,375 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Service Co. International by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 920,222 shares of the company's stock worth $73,452,000 after acquiring an additional 5,074 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in Service Co. International during the 4th quarter worth about $3,229,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Service Co. International by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,998 shares of the company's stock worth $9,898,000 after acquiring an additional 14,738 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Service Co. International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. UBS Group reduced 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.25.

Service Co. International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SCI traded up $0.88 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $77.66. The company had a trading volume of 1,122,865 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,066,259. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. The firm has a market cap of $11.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.87, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.96. The company's 50-day moving average price is $77.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $79.91. Service Co. International has a one year low of $68.82 and a one year high of $89.37.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 32.18%. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. Service Co. International's revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal 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 1.65%. Service Co. International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.16%.

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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 982,333 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $83,066,078.48. This represents a 4.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Tony Coelho sold 5,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.94, for a total transaction of $410,076.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 43,938 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,336,651.72. The trade was a 10.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 61,900 shares of company stock worth $5,153,461 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 4.40% of the company's stock.

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.