Procyon Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Procyon Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 13.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,376 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,211 shares during the period. Procyon Advisors LLC’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $710,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of Service Co. International by 282.2% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 493 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Service Co. International in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 204.1% in the fourth quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 599 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 33.4% in the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 663 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Service Co. International in the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on SCI shares. UBS Group lifted 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 report on Wednesday, February 14th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Service Co. International from $71.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. One equities research 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $75.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Steven A. Tidwell sold 45,995 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.43, for a total transaction of $3,469,402.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 54,354 shares in the company, valued at $4,099,922.22. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Service Co. International news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 75,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.53, for a total transaction of $5,514,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 988,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $72,674,478.45. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Steven A. Tidwell sold 45,995 shares of Service Co. International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.43, for a total value of $3,469,402.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 54,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,099,922.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 202,675 shares of company stock worth $15,066,906. Insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Stock Performance

Shares of SCI traded up $0.18 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $74.40. The company had a trading volume of 74,212 shares, compared to its average volume of 847,763. The firm has a market cap of $10.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.81. The business has a fifty day moving average of $71.14 and a 200-day moving average of $64.71. Service Co. International has a 12 month low of $52.89 and a 12 month high of $75.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.02.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Service Co. International will post 3.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. This is an increase from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Service Co. International’s payout ratio is presently 32.95%.

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.