Carriage Services (NYSE:CSV) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE:CSV) shares gapped up before the market opened on Thursday. The stock had previously closed at $31.17, but opened at $32.99. Carriage Services shares last traded at $32.0910, with a volume of 66,868 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on CSV shares. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Carriage Services in a report on Thursday, August 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James Financial set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Carriage Services in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Carriage Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Roth Capital set a $46.00 price objective on Carriage Services in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Carriage Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Carriage Services presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $51.00.

Carriage Services Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The company has a market cap of $512.68 million, a PE ratio of 11.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.78.

Carriage Services (NYSE:CSV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.82 by ($0.04). Carriage Services had a net margin of 10.69% and a return on equity of 19.23%. The company had revenue of $102.95 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $108.91 million. Carriage Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.350-3.550 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Carriage Services, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Carriage Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 3rd were given a dividend of $0.1125 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $0.45 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Carriage Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Carriage Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Carriage Services during the second quarter worth $42,164,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Carriage Services in the 2nd quarter worth $12,505,000. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Carriage Services during the 2nd quarter worth $9,562,000. De Lisle Partners LLP purchased a new position in Carriage Services during the 2nd quarter worth $9,191,000. Finally, Heartland Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Carriage Services during the 2nd quarter valued at about $7,948,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.46% of the company’s stock.

About Carriage Services

Carriage Services, Inc is a Houston-based provider of funeral and cemetery services in the United States. The company operates funeral homes and cemeteries that serve families through the funeral, cremation and burial processes.

Its services include funeral and memorial ceremonies, cremation services, cemetery interment, burial and cremation merchandise, and related planning arrangements. Carriage Services also offers pre-need funeral and cemetery planning, allowing customers to arrange and fund services in advance.

Founded in 1991, the company has built its business through a combination of acquiring established funeral homes and cemeteries and supporting their local operations.