Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. Sells 75,400 Shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. reduced its position in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 12.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 533,078 shares of the company’s stock after selling 75,400 shares during the period. Service Co. International makes up about 0.7% of Comgest Global Investors S.A.S.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S.’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $42,550,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC boosted its position in Service Co. International by 70.2% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,901,982 shares of the company’s stock worth $550,916,000 after purchasing an additional 2,846,159 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Service Co. International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $96,498,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 237.8% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 911,294 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,739,000 after buying an additional 641,552 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International by 8,471.3% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 297,253 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,727,000 after buying an additional 293,785 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Service Co. International by 231.1% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 385,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,768,000 after buying an additional 269,043 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Service Co. International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $88.50.

Service Co. International Stock Up 3.9 %

SCI stock opened at $78.04 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $78.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.01. The stock has a market cap of $11.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.98, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. Service Co. International has a twelve month low of $67.19 and a twelve month high of $89.37.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Service Co. International

In other Service Co. International news, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now directly owns 46,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,712,674.96. This trade represents a 12.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.56, for a total transaction of $4,228,000.00. Following the completion of 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

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.