Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC Purchases 2,090 Shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 10.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,992 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,090 shares during the quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $1,574,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 4.3% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 34,231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,898,000 after purchasing an additional 1,414 shares during the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 15.5% during the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $510,000 after purchasing an additional 1,198 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Service Co. International during the third quarter valued at approximately $509,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Service Co. International during the third quarter valued at approximately $255,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 5.2% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 9,186 shares of the company’s stock valued at $525,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares during the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Service Co. International Stock Performance

Shares of SCI stock traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $71.15. 219,503 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 822,076. Service Co. International has a 12 month low of $52.89 and a 12 month high of $75.97. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $72.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.02, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.42 billion, a PE ratio of 20.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.06 billion during 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%. Service Co. International’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.92 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Service Co. International will post 3.62 EPS for the current year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. This is a boost 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 equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Service Co. International from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Service Co. International from $71.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Service Co. International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $75.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Service Co. International news, VP Steven A. Tidwell sold 45,995 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,099,922.22. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 16,580 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.20, for a total value of $1,197,076.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 988,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,359,953. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Steven A. Tidwell sold 45,995 shares of the 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 directly owns 54,354 shares in the company, valued at $4,099,922.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 202,675 shares of company stock worth $15,066,906 in the last 90 days. 4.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Service Co. International 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.