Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.
MARKET INFORMATION
Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CSV.” At February 23, 2024, there were 15,141,435 shares of our common stock outstanding. The shares of common stock outstanding are held by approximately 300 stockholders of record. Each share is entitled to one vote on matters requiring the vote of stockholders. We believe there are approximately 8,100 beneficial owners of our common stock.
RECENT SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we did not have any sales of securities in transactions that were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933 (as amended, the “Securities Act”) that have not been reported in a Form 8-K or Form 10-Q.
DIVIDENDS
While we intend to pay regular quarterly cash dividends for the foreseeable future, covenant restrictions under our Credit Facility and the Indenture governing our Senior Notes may limit our ability to pay dividends in the future.
EQUITY PLANS
For information regarding securities authorized for issuance under our equity compensation plans, see Part III, Item 12, Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
22
PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER
Subject to market conditions, normal trading restrictions and satisfying certain financial covenants in our Credit Facility, and in the Indenture governing our Senior Notes, we may make purchases in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions under our Board authorized share repurchase program, in accordance with Rule 10b-18 of the Securities Exchange Act, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).
On February 23, 2022, our Board authorized an increase in our share repurchase program to permit us to purchase up to an additional $75.0 million under our share repurchase program, in addition to amounts previously authorized and outstanding in accordance with Rule 10b-18 of the Securities Exchange Act, which totaled up to $265.0 million in share repurchase authorizations.
Share repurchase activity is as follows (dollar value of shares repurchased in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
2021 2022 2023
Number of Shares Repurchased (1)
2,906,983 695,496 —
Average Price Paid Per Share $ 49.01 $ 49.22 $ —
Dollar Value of Shares Repurchased (1)
$ 142,469 $ 34,234 $ —
(1) These amounts may differ from the repurchases of common stock amounts in the consolidated statements of cash flows due to unsettled share repurchases at the end of a period. In December 2021, we repurchased 37,408 shares for $2.4 million, the settlement of which occurred in January 2022.
Our shares were purchased in the open market at times and in amounts as management determined appropriate based on factors such as market conditions, legal requirements and other business considerations. Shares purchased pursuant to the repurchase program are currently held as treasury stock. At December 31, 2023, our share repurchase program had $48.9 million authorized for repurchases.
The following table sets forth certain information with respect to repurchases of our common stock during the quarter ended December 31, 2023:
Period Total Number of Shares Purchased Average Price Paid Per Share Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Program Dollar Value of Shares That May Yet Be Purchased Under the Program (1)
October 1, 2023 - October 31, 2023 — $ — — $ 48,898,769
November 1, 2023 - November 30, 2023 — $ — — $ 48,898,769
December 1, 2023 - December 31, 2023 — $ — — $ 48,898,769
Total for quarter ended December 31, 2023 — —
(1) See the first paragraph under the caption “ Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer ” for more information on our publicly announced share repurchase program.
23
STOCKHOLDER RETURN PERFORMANCE GRAPH
The following line graph below compares the yearly change in cumulative total stockholder return over a 5-year period on our common stock relative to the cumulative total returns of the Russell 3000 Index (the “Russell 3000”), a peer group selected by the Company comprising SCI, Matthews International Corp. (“Matthews”) and Park Lawn (the “Peer Group”).
We use a peer group index, as we believe there is no relevant published industry or line-of-business index that reflects the companies against which we compete in our industry. The returns of each member of the Peer Group are weighted according to their respective stock market capitalization as of the beginning of each period measured.
The graph assumes that the value of the investment in our common stock, the Russell 3000 Index and the Peer Group was $100 on the last trading day of December 2018, and that all dividends were reinvested. Performance data for Carriage, the Russell 3000 Index and the Peer Group is provided as of the last trading day of each of our last five fiscal years.
The following graph and related information shall not be deemed “soliciting material” or “filed” with the SEC, nor shall such information be incorporated by reference into any future filing under the Securities or the Exchange Act except to the extent that we specifically incorporate it by reference. The stock price performance included in this graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance.
COMPARISON OF 5 YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN
Among Carriage, the Russell 3000 Index and the Peer Group
ITEM 6. [RESERVED]
24