Walleye Trading LLC Trims Stock Position in Service Corporation International $SCI

Key Points

• Walleye Trading LLC reduced its holdings in Service Corporation International (SCI) by 63.9% during the first quarter, leaving them with a position valued at $211,000.
• Institutional investors currently own 85.53% of SCI stock, with several firms, including Norinchukin Bank and Credit Agricole S A, significantly increasing their positions in the same quarter.
• Service Corporation International reported earnings per share (EPS) of $0.88 for the last quarter, exceeding analyst estimates and reflecting a year-over-year revenue increase of 3.0%.

Walleye Trading LLC decreased its position in Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) by 63.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,636 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,664 shares during the period. Walleye Trading LLC's holdings in Service Corporation International were worth $211,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in shares of Service Corporation International during the 4th quarter valued at $435,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in Service Corporation International by 38.1% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 11,238 shares of the company's stock valued at $898,000 after acquiring an additional 3,098 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Service Corporation International during the fourth quarter valued at about $240,000. Quarry LP boosted its position in Service Corporation International by 359.8% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 469 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the period. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC boosted its position in Service Corporation International by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 3,856 shares of the company's stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on SCI. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Service Corporation International from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $90.00 target price (up previously from $85.00) on shares of Service Corporation International in a report on Monday, August 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Service Corporation International has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $90.25.

Service Corporation International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SCI traded down $0.97 during trading on Friday, reaching $77.64. The company had a trading volume of 266,650 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,132,921. Service Corporation International has a 12 month low of $71.75 and a 12 month high of $89.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a fifty day moving average of $79.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $78.81.

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.04. Service Corporation International had a return on equity of 32.84% and a net margin of 12.60%.The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.79 EPS. Service Corporation International's quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Service Corporation International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.700-4.00 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Service Corporation International will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Service Corporation International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Service Corporation International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.69%.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Sumner J. Waring III sold 56,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.57, for a total transaction of $4,295,577.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 295,192 shares in the company, valued at $22,602,851.44. This represents a 15.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Ellen Ochoa sold 2,514 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.41, for a total transaction of $199,636.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 252,073 shares of company stock valued at $20,116,529 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 4.40% of the company's stock.

About Service Corporation 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.