United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. (NASDAQ:USLM) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. (NASDAQ:USLM) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 208,800 shares, a growth of 44.4% from the November 15th total of 144,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 85,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days.

United States Lime & Minerals Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of USLM traded down $3.67 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $145.46. The company had a trading volume of 33,964 shares, compared to its average volume of 100,518. United States Lime & Minerals has a 1-year low of $42.87 and a 1-year high of $159.53. The stock has a market cap of $4.16 billion, a PE ratio of 43.23 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $126.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.75.

United States Lime & Minerals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.14%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. United States Lime & Minerals’s payout ratio is currently 5.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United States Lime & Minerals news, CEO Timothy W. Byrne sold 22,261 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.73, for a total transaction of $3,155,051.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 125,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,716,816.92. This represents a 15.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Nathan O’neill sold 1,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.73, for a total value of $244,527.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 7,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,101,072.40. The trade was a 18.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United States Lime & Minerals

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of USLM. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 900.0% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank grew its stake in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 400.0% during the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 360 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of United States Lime & Minerals during the third quarter worth $49,000. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 403.0% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 503 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 1,104.8% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 253 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $92,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of United States Lime & Minerals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd.

United States Lime & Minerals Company Profile

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.