Argent Capital Management LLC Acquires 309 Shares of Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI)

Argent Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) by 1.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,496 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 309 shares during the period. Argent Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Service Co. International were worth $2,311,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bridgefront Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Service Co. International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $852,000. Boulder Hill Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Service Co. International during the 4th quarter worth about $2,492,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Service Co. International by 6,783.1% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 11,839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $810,000 after purchasing an additional 11,667 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Service Co. International by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Finally, BDF Gestion purchased a new position in shares of Service Co. International during the second quarter valued at approximately $3,948,000. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Service Co. International

In other Service Co. International news, Director Tony Coelho sold 2,900 shares of Service Co. International stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.38, for a total transaction of $209,902.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 60,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,388,327.02. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Thomas L. Ryan sold 80,638 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.97, for a total transaction of $5,964,792.86. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 988,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $73,109,359.05. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Tony Coelho sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.38, for a total value of $209,902.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 60,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,388,327.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

Service Co. International Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of SCI traded up $1.17 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $77.39. 738,752 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 914,216. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.84. Service Co. International has a 1 year low of $52.89 and a 1 year high of $80.37. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $73.70 and its 200-day moving average is $72.17.

Service Co. International (NYSE:SCI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $0.79 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 company had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Service Co. International will post 3.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Service Co. International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.55%. Service Co. International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on Service Co. International from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Service Co. International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Service Co. International from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Service Co. International from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $77.60.

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.