Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Increases Holdings in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 38.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,760 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 486 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $125,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Service Co. International in the fourth quarter valued at about $102,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Service Co. International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in Service Co. International by 296.4% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,224 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,000 after purchasing an additional 1,663 shares during the period. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC bought a new position in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter valued at $209,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Service Co. International in the fourth quarter worth $92,331,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Service Co. International

In related news, Director Ellen Ochoa sold 2,642 shares of Service Co. International stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.41, for a total value of $201,875.22. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Service Co. International news, Director Ellen Ochoa sold 2,642 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.41, for a total transaction of $201,875.22. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 80,638 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.97, for a total value of $5,964,792.86. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 988,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $73,109,359.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE SCI opened at $79.54 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.86, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.84. Service Co. International has a one year low of $52.89 and a one year high of $81.32. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $76.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $73.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.05, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.51.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.86 by ($0.07). Service Co. International had a net margin of 12.32% and a return on equity of 32.07%. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.83 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Service Co. International will post 3.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Co. International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SCI has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Service Co. International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Service Co. International from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Service Co. International from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Service Co. International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.60.

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.