Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Stake Lifted by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) by 25.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 32,445 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 6,582 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Service Co. International were worth $2,602,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Service Co. International during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in Service Co. International by 359.8% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 469 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in Service Co. International during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Service Co. International during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in Service Co. International during the 4th quarter worth $52,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on SCI. 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 price target 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Service Co. International currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.25.

Service Co. International Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of SCI stock opened at $78.18 on Friday. 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 1 year low of $68.84 and a 1 year high of $89.37. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $77.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $79.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.13 billion, a PE ratio of 22.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.96.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last announced 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. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 32.18% and a net margin of 12.39%. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Service Co. International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. Service Co. International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.16%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Tony Coelho sold 5,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 now owns 43,938 shares in the company, valued at $3,336,651.72. This represents a 10.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $83,066,078.48. This trade represents a 4.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.

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