Boston Trust Walden Corp Raises Position in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its stake in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 673,914 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 20,879 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned about 0.46% of Service Co. International worth $46,129,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Service Co. International by 1,032.1% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,097,682 shares of the company's stock valued at $213,060,000 after purchasing an additional 2,824,050 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Service Co. International by 134.8% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,458,834 shares of the company's stock valued at $239,144,000 after purchasing an additional 1,985,847 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Service Co. International in the fourth quarter valued at $87,387,000. Select Equity Group L.P. increased its stake in Service Co. International by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 8,379,769 shares of the company's stock valued at $579,377,000 after purchasing an additional 905,919 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Service Co. International by 23.6% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,348,183 shares of the company's stock valued at $162,353,000 after purchasing an additional 448,311 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Service Co. International Stock Performance

Shares of Service Co. International stock traded up $0.74 on Friday, reaching $72.49. 535,036 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 846,917. Service Co. International has a 1-year low of $52.89 and a 1-year high of $75.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.02. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $71.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.62 billion, a PE ratio of 20.59, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.81.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. Service Co. International had a net margin of 13.11% and a return on equity of 32.88%. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.92 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Service Co. International will post 3.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This is an increase from Service Co. International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Service Co. International's dividend payout ratio is 32.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on SCI. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Service Co. International from $71.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. UBS Group boosted 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Service Co. International has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $75.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Service Co. International

In other Service Co. International news, VP Steven A. Tidwell sold 45,995 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.43, for a total value of $3,469,402.85. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 54,354 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,099,922.22. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Service Co. International news, COO Sumner J. Waring III sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.07, for a total transaction of $3,753,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 289,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,725,258. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Steven A. Tidwell sold 45,995 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 54,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,099,922.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 202,675 shares of company stock valued at $15,066,906 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 5.10% of the company's stock.

About Service Co. International

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.