MetLife Investment Management LLC Boosts Stake in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI - Free Report) by 8.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 81,457 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,251 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Service Co. International worth $6,502,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of SCI. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Service Co. International by 263.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 15,912 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,206,000 after buying an additional 11,530 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Service Co. International in the fourth quarter valued at about $340,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Service Co. International by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 185,277 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,348,000 after purchasing an additional 3,375 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Service Co. International by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 920,222 shares of the company's stock worth $73,452,000 after purchasing an additional 5,074 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in Service Co. International in the 4th quarter worth about $3,229,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Service Co. International Stock Performance

SCI stock traded up $0.71 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $79.13. The company had a trading volume of 268,336 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,036,522. Service Co. International has a 12 month low of $67.19 and a 12 month high of $89.37. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $78.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $80.15. The firm has a market cap of $11.40 billion, a PE ratio of 22.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81. 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 (NYSE:SCI - Get Free Report) last announced 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 return on equity of 32.18% and a net margin of 12.39%. On average, analysts forecast that Service Co. International will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. 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 presently 36.06%.

Insider Activity at Service Co. International

In related news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.56, for a total transaction 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 represents a 4.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.29, for a total transaction of $515,385.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 46,824 shares in the company, valued at $3,712,674.96. This represents a 12.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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.