Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Shares Bought by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 10.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 35,357 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,358 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $2,822,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter worth about $52,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter worth about $60,000. Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in Service Co. International by 110,300.0% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 1,103 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Service Co. International by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,397 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of Service Co. International stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.56, for a total value of $4,228,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 982,333 shares in the company, valued at $83,066,078.48. This trade represents a 4.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $515,385.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 46,824 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,712,674.96. This trade represents a 12.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Stock Down 0.1 %

SCI stock opened at $78.55 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $78.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.15. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $67.19 and a fifty-two week high of $89.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.13, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.90.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 EPS 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. This is a boost from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Service Co. International’s payout ratio is presently 36.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Service Co. International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $88.50.

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.