Carriage Services (NYSE:CSV) Earns Outperform Rating from Barrington Research

Barrington Research reissued their outperform rating on shares of Carriage Services (NYSE:CSV) in a report issued on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $50.00 target price on the stock.

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Carriage Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th.

Carriage Services Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE CSV opened at $40.26 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The firm has a market cap of $630.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.05, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.93. Carriage Services has a 52-week low of $25.44 and a 52-week high of $42.75. The business’s 50 day moving average is $38.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.98.

Carriage Services (NYSE:CSV) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $8.47 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $104.17 million. Research analysts predict that Carriage Services will post 2.5 EPS for the current year.

Carriage Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.12%. Carriage Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Steven D. Metzger sold 2,492 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.01, for a total value of $99,704.92. Following the sale, the president now owns 78,897 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,156,668.97. This represents a 3.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Carriage Services

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Carriage Services in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new position in Carriage Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $48,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Carriage Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $65,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Carriage Services by 8,246.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,255 shares of the company’s stock worth $126,000 after purchasing an additional 3,216 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP grew its holdings in shares of Carriage Services by 217.3% during the fourth quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 4,982 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,000 after buying an additional 3,412 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.46% of the company’s stock.

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.