Treasurer of the State of North Carolina Purchases 41,158 Shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) by 34.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 159,250 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 41,158 shares during the quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina owned approximately 0.11% of Service Co. International worth $12,711,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new stake in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of Service Co. International in the fourth quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Service Co. International during the 4th quarter worth $60,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Service Co. International Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSE:SCI traded up $0.90 on Friday, hitting $77.55. 875,110 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,029,643. The company has a market cap of $11.17 billion, a PE ratio of 21.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81. Service Co. International has a 1 year low of $67.19 and a 1 year high of $89.37. 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 50-day moving average price of $78.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $79.97.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.06. Service Co. International had a net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 32.18%. Equities analysts anticipate that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. This is a positive change from Service Co. International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Service Co. International's payout ratio is currently 36.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Service Co. International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $88.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of Service Co. International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.29, for a total value of $515,385.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 46,824 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,712,674.96. The trade was a 12.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.56, for a total value of $4,228,000.00. Following 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. 4.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Service Co. International Company 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.