Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE:CSV) Stake Trimmed by Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE:CSV - Free Report) by 79.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,303 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,877 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC's holdings in Carriage Services were worth $211,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Carriage Services by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 8,223 shares of the company's stock worth $328,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Carriage Services by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 17,498 shares of the company's stock valued at $697,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP increased its holdings in Carriage Services by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 8,387 shares of the company's stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC grew its holdings in Carriage Services by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 8,200 shares of the company's stock worth $327,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Carriage Services by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,700 shares of the company's stock valued at $307,000 after buying an additional 624 shares during the period. 66.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Carriage Services news, President Steven D. Metzger sold 2,492 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.01, for a total transaction of $99,704.92. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 78,897 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,156,668.97. The trade was a 3.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 9,000 shares of company stock valued at $362,141 in the last ninety days. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Carriage Services Stock Performance

Carriage Services stock traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $42.14. 60,671 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 115,219. The firm's fifty day moving average is $39.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.80. The company has a market capitalization of $661.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Carriage Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $25.84 and a fifty-two week high of $44.35.

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

Carriage Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 5th will be issued a $0.1125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 5th. This represents a $0.45 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. Carriage Services's payout ratio is 15.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on CSV shares. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $50.00 price target on shares of Carriage Services in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Carriage Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, May 11th. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $51.00 price target (up previously from $48.00) on shares of Carriage Services in a report on Friday, May 2nd.

Carriage Services Company 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.