Bank of Montreal Can Buys 2,024 Shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake in shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,594 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,024 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $2,362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Service Co. International during the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Service Co. International during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in Service Co. International in the 4th quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Service Co. International in the 4th quarter worth about $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Service Co. International

In other Service Co. International news, Director Tony Coelho sold 6,500 shares of Service Co. International 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 in the company, valued at $3,712,674.96. The trade was a 12.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $83,066,078.48. This 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Service Co. International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SCI opened at $76.69 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.52. Service Co. International has a fifty-two week low of $67.19 and a fifty-two week high of $89.37. The stock has a market cap of $11.05 billion, a PE ratio of 21.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $78.68 and a 200-day moving average of $79.98.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last announced 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 return on equity of 32.18% and a net margin of 12.39%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Service Co. International will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is a positive change from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Service Co. International’s payout ratio is 36.06%.

Service Co. 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.