Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 14,238 Shares of Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE:CSV)

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its position in Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE:CSV - Free Report) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 917,274 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,238 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 6.03% of Carriage Services worth $36,553,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CSV. FMR LLC increased its position in Carriage Services by 46.6% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 852 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 271 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Carriage Services during the 4th quarter valued at $65,000. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its holdings in Carriage Services by 217.3% in the 4th 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 during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Carriage Services in the 4th quarter worth $220,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Carriage Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $204,000. 66.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Carriage Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CSV traded up $0.68 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $39.48. 122,033 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 116,346. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.72. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $38.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.34. Carriage Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $23.49 and a 12 month high of $42.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $617.85 million, a PE ratio of 17.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.77.

Carriage Services (NYSE:CSV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $97.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $96.72 million. Carriage Services had a net margin of 8.57% and a return on equity of 23.52%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.77 earnings per share. 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 5th will be given a $0.1125 dividend. This represents a $0.45 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. Carriage Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CSV has been the subject of several research reports. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of Carriage Services in a research note on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com downgraded Carriage Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th.

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.