KBC Group NV Increases Holdings in Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI)

KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) by 10.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,222 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 566 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Service Corporation International were worth $499,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in SCI. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Service Corporation International during the 4th quarter valued at about $435,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in Service Corporation International by 37.1% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 966 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in Service Corporation International by 59.0% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,975 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,000 after purchasing an additional 733 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Service Corporation International in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in Service Corporation International by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,438 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Service Corporation International

In other Service Corporation International news, Director Tony Coelho sold 5,400 shares of Service Corporation International stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.94, for a total value of $410,076.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 43,938 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,336,651.72. The trade was a 10.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Service Corporation International Price Performance

NYSE SCI opened at $81.78 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $11.64 billion, a PE ratio of 22.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.92. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $78.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.51. Service Corporation International has a 52-week low of $68.84 and a 52-week high of $89.37.

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. Service Corporation International had a net margin of 12.58% and a return on equity of 32.35%. Service Corporation International’s revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Service Corporation International will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Corporation International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. Service Corporation International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SCI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Service Corporation International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Service Corporation International from $90.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.25.

Service Corporation International 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.