16,017 Shares in Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE:CSV) Purchased by MQS Management LLC

MQS Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE:CSV - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 16,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $621,000. MQS Management LLC owned 0.10% of Carriage Services at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Carriage Services by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 8,223 shares of the company's stock valued at $328,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its stake in Carriage Services by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 8,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $327,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Carriage Services by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 61,486 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,450,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Carriage Services by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 21,370 shares of the company's stock valued at $852,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Carriage Services by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 315,936 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,593,000 after purchasing an additional 1,072 shares during the last quarter. 66.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CSV has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Carriage Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $50.00 price objective on shares of Carriage Services in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and issued a $51.00 price objective (up previously from $48.00) on shares of Carriage Services in a research note on Friday, May 2nd.

Carriage Services Price Performance

Shares of CSV stock traded up $0.97 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $46.78. The company's stock had a trading volume of 59,547 shares, compared to its average volume of 108,122. Carriage Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.50 and a 1-year high of $47.48. The company has a market cap of $733.98 million, a P/E ratio of 15.65, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.95. The firm's 50-day moving average is $44.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.17.

Carriage Services (NYSE:CSV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.16. Carriage Services had a net margin of 11.50% and a return on equity of 21.96%. The company had revenue of $8.47 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $104.17 million. On average, research analysts predict 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 was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 5th were given a dividend of $0.1125 per share. This represents a $0.45 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 5th. Carriage Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.05%.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Steven D. Metzger sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.60, for a total transaction of $121,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 75,897 shares in the company, valued at $3,081,418.20. This trade represents a 3.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,348 shares of company stock worth $378,420. Company 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.