Versor Investments LP Takes Position in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Versor Investments LP bought a new position in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $267,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of SCI. Swedbank AB increased its position in shares of Service Co. International by 1.9% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,900,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $228,899,000 after acquiring an additional 55,000 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Service Co. International by 7,802.1% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 7,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $599,000 after purchasing an additional 7,490 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Service Co. International by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,824 shares of the company’s stock worth $696,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Service Co. International by 36.8% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 926 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $426,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Service Co. International Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:SCI opened at $79.96 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $78.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $79.93. Service Co. International has a one year low of $67.19 and a one year high of $89.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.53 billion, a PE ratio of 22.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.87.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06. Service Co. International had a return on equity of 32.18% and a net margin of 12.39%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Service Co. International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. This is a boost from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SCI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Service Co. International from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Service Co. International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.