Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 9,080 Shares of Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE:CSV)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE:CSV - Free Report) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 734,828 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,080 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 4.83% of Carriage Services worth $29,283,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CSV. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Carriage Services in the 4th quarter worth about $65,000. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its position in Carriage Services by 217.3% during the fourth quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 4,982 shares of the company's stock valued at $199,000 after purchasing an additional 3,412 shares in the last quarter. Polymer Capital Management US LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Carriage Services during the 4th quarter valued at $202,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Carriage Services during the fourth quarter worth $220,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Carriage Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $232,000. Institutional investors own 66.46% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CSV has been the topic of several research reports. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of Carriage Services in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. StockNews.com downgraded Carriage Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 3rd. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $51.00 price target (up from $48.00) on shares of Carriage Services in a report on Friday, May 2nd.

Carriage Services Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSE CSV traded up $0.49 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $41.46. 152,783 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 115,419. Carriage Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $25.78 and a 12 month high of $42.75. The company has a 50 day moving average of $38.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $648.85 million, a PE ratio of 18.59, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.93.

Carriage Services (NYSE:CSV - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.16. Carriage Services had a return on equity of 23.52% and a net margin of 8.57%. The firm had revenue of $8.47 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $104.17 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that Carriage Services, Inc. will post 2.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Carriage Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 5th will be issued a $0.1125 dividend. This represents a $0.45 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 5th. Carriage Services's payout ratio is 15.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Steven D. Metzger sold 2,492 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.01, for a total transaction of $99,704.92. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 78,897 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,156,668.97. This represents a 3.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders have sold 9,000 shares of company stock worth $362,141. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company's stock.

Carriage Services Profile

Carriage Services, Inc provides funeral and cemetery services, and merchandise in the United States. It operates in two segments, Funeral Home Operations and Cemetery Operations. The Funeral Home Operations segment provides consultation services; funeral home facilities for visitation and memorial services; transportation services; removal and preparation of remains; sale of caskets and urns; cremation services; and related funeral merchandise.