Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE:CSV) Shares Sold by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC reduced its holdings in Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE:CSV - Free Report) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 537,800 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,300 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 3.53% of Carriage Services worth $21,431,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CSV. Values First Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Carriage Services by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 17,498 shares of the company's stock worth $697,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Carriage Services by 46.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 852 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 271 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP raised its holdings in shares of Carriage Services by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 8,387 shares of the company's stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Carriage Services by 8.8% in 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 period. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Carriage Services by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 61,486 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,450,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the period. 66.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Carriage Services Stock Performance

CSV traded up $0.68 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $39.48. 122,033 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 116,230. Carriage Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $23.20 and a 1-year high of $42.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $617.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.77. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $38.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.29.

Carriage Services (NYSE:CSV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.11. Carriage Services had a return on equity of 23.52% and a net margin of 8.57%. The business had revenue of $97.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $96.72 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.77 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Carriage Services, Inc. will post 2.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Carriage Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 5th will be given a dividend of $0.1125 per share. This represents a $0.45 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.14%. Carriage Services's payout ratio is presently 21.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Carriage Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Carriage Services in a research note on Friday, February 28th.

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.