United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM) Upgraded to Buy by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Friday.

United States Lime & Minerals Stock Down 8.1 %

United States Lime & Minerals stock opened at $78.07 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.58 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $73.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $63.51. United States Lime & Minerals has a twelve month low of $37.11 and a twelve month high of $87.13.

United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $71.69 million during the quarter. United States Lime & Minerals had a return on equity of 21.82% and a net margin of 29.87%.

United States Lime & Minerals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 13th. Investors of record on Friday, August 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 23rd. United States Lime & Minerals’s payout ratio is currently 1.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United States Lime & Minerals news, CEO Timothy W. Byrne sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.06, for a total transaction of $66,064.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 147,715 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,758,643.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Timothy W. Byrne sold 36,945 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.34, for a total transaction of $2,487,728.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 151,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,228,338.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Timothy W. Byrne sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.06, for a total transaction of $66,064.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 147,715 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,758,643.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in USLM. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United States Lime & Minerals in the second quarter worth approximately $1,685,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 17,553 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,392,000 after acquiring an additional 869 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in United States Lime & Minerals by 1,505.5% in the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,587 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,035,000 after acquiring an additional 5,239 shares in the last quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in United States Lime & Minerals by 1.0% in the second quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,289 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,019,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC raised its position in United States Lime & Minerals by 1,104.8% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 253 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. 27.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About United States Lime & Minerals

United States Lime & Minerals, Inc manufactures and supplies lime and limestone products in the United States. It extracts limestone from open-pit quarries and an underground mine, and processes it as pulverized limestone, quicklime, hydrated lime, and lime slurry. The company supplies its products primarily to the construction customers, including highway, road, and building contractors; industrial customers, such as paper and glass manufacturers; environmental customers comprising municipal sanitation and water treatment facilities, and flue gas treatment processes; oil and gas services companies; roof shingle manufacturers; and poultry producers.