Short Interest in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Declines By 25.3%

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,040,000 shares, a drop of 25.3% from the March 15th total of 6,750,000 shares. Approximately 3.6% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 836,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.0 days.

Service Co. International Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE SCI traded down $0.71 during trading on Friday, reaching $69.81. 864,531 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 836,374. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.02, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market cap of $10.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.81. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $72.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $65.66. Service Co. International has a 12-month low of $52.89 and a 12-month high of $75.97.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. Service Co. International had a net margin of 13.11% and a return on equity of 32.88%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.92 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Service Co. International will post 3.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.72%. This is an increase from Service Co. International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Service Co. International's payout ratio is presently 32.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on SCI shares. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Service Co. International from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Service Co. International from $71.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $75.00.

Insider Transactions at Service Co. International

In other news, Director Tony Coelho sold 8,950 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.39, for a total value of $674,740.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 60,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,590,270.93. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Tony Coelho sold 8,950 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.39, for a total value of $674,740.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 60,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,590,270.93. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Steven A. Tidwell sold 45,995 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.43, for a total transaction of $3,469,402.85. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 54,354 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,099,922.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 202,675 shares of company stock worth $15,066,906. 5.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. TFO Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Service Co. International by 12,200.0% in the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 369 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Service Co. International in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Quarry LP grew its position in shares of Service Co. International by 282.2% in the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 493 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its position in shares of Service Co. International by 204.1% in the 4th quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 599 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Service Co. International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Service Co. International Company Profile

Service Corporation International provides deathcare products and services in the United States and Canada. Its funeral service and cemetery operations comprise funeral service locations, cemeteries, funeral service/cemetery combination locations, crematoria, and other businesses. The company also provides professional services related to funerals and cremations, including the use of funeral home facilities and motor vehicles; arranging and directing services; and removal, preparation, embalming, cremation, memorialization, and travel protection, as well as catering services.