SG Americas Securities LLC Acquires 13,892 Shares of Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE:CSV)

SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE:CSV - Free Report) by 172.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 21,934 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 13,892 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned 0.14% of Carriage Services worth $850,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Carriage Services by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 8,223 shares of the company's stock valued at $328,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP increased its stake in shares of Carriage Services by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 8,387 shares of the company's stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Carriage Services by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,700 shares of the company's stock worth $307,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Carriage Services by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 61,486 shares of the company's stock worth $2,450,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.46% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Carriage Services

In other news, President Steven D. Metzger sold 3,508 shares of Carriage Services stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.09, for a total transaction of $140,635.72. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 81,389 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,262,885.01. The trade was a 4.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,000 shares of company stock valued at $362,141. Insiders own 2.60% of the company's stock.

Carriage Services Stock Performance

Carriage Services stock traded up $0.36 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $44.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 70,354 shares, compared to its average volume of 109,840. Carriage Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $25.84 and a 12-month high of $46.15. The company has a market capitalization of $692.40 million, a P/E ratio of 14.76, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.88. 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 fifty day moving average price is $42.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $40.48.

Carriage Services (NYSE:CSV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.16. Carriage Services had a net margin of 11.50% and a return on equity of 21.96%. The firm had revenue of $8.47 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $104.17 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Carriage Services, Inc. will post 2.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carriage Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 5th were issued a dividend of $0.1125 per share. This represents a $0.45 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 5th. Carriage Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 15.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CSV. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Carriage Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, May 11th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $51.00 price objective (up from $48.00) on shares of Carriage Services in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $50.00 price objective on shares of Carriage Services in a research note on Thursday, May 1st.

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.