Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE:CSV) Shares Bought by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE:CSV - Free Report) by 27.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,151 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,461 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned 0.29% of Carriage Services worth $1,759,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CSV. LSV Asset Management grew its stake in shares of Carriage Services by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 590,917 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,548,000 after buying an additional 65,358 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Carriage Services by 94.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 118,891 shares of the company's stock worth $3,903,000 after purchasing an additional 57,821 shares during the period. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in Carriage Services during the fourth quarter worth about $2,272,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of Carriage Services by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 237,228 shares of the company's stock worth $9,454,000 after purchasing an additional 34,342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Carriage Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,159,000. 66.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Carriage Services Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:CSV traded up $0.52 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $40.26. The stock had a trading volume of 111,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 115,551. Carriage Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $25.44 and a 1 year high of $42.75. The firm's 50 day moving average is $38.65 and its 200-day moving average is $38.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $630.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.72.

Carriage Services (NYSE:CSV - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. The firm had revenue of $8.47 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $104.17 million. Carriage Services had a return on equity of 23.52% and a net margin of 8.57%. Research analysts predict that Carriage Services, Inc. will post 2.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Carriage Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 5th will be issued a $0.1125 dividend. This represents a $0.45 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 5th. Carriage Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Carriage Services

In related news, President Steven D. Metzger sold 3,508 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.09, for a total value of $140,635.72. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 81,389 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,262,885.01. This trade represents a 4.13 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on CSV shares. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $51.00 target price (up from $48.00) on shares of Carriage Services in a report on Friday. StockNews.com cut Carriage Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of Carriage Services in a report on Thursday.

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.