Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) Shares Sold by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lessened its holdings in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,450 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,810 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $3,903,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Service Co. International by 43.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 17,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,272,000 after buying an additional 5,161 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Service Co. International by 12.8% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 103,477 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,680,000 after acquiring an additional 11,709 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in Service Co. International in the 1st quarter valued at $338,000. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its holdings in Service Co. International by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 171,697 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,809,000 after purchasing an additional 8,656 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Service Co. International by 21.0% in the 1st quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 18,015 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,337,000 after purchasing an additional 3,126 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SCI. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Service Co. International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Service Co. International from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, StockNews.com cut Service Co. International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $85.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Ellen Ochoa sold 2,642 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.41, for a total transaction of $201,875.22. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 5.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Service Co. International Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of SCI opened at $86.21 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.91. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $78.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $74.93. Service Co. International has a 12-month low of $57.49 and a 12-month high of $88.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.83.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79. Service Co. International had a net margin of 12.19% and a return on equity of 31.84%. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.78 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Service Co. International will post 3.51 EPS for the current year.

Service Co. International Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. This is a boost from Service Co. International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

About Service Co. International

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.