United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. (NASDAQ:USLM)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $110.47, but opened at $107.09. United States Lime & Minerals shares last traded at $109.28, with a volume of 16,275 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

United States Lime & Minerals Stock Down 1.6 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.03 and a beta of 0.91. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $131.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $109.44.

United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The construction company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter. United States Lime & Minerals had a net margin of 32.60% and a return on equity of 22.95%.

United States Lime & Minerals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.22%. This is an increase from United States Lime & Minerals’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.05. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. United States Lime & Minerals’s payout ratio is 5.80%.

Insider Activity at United States Lime & Minerals

In other news, VP Nathan O’neill sold 1,750 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,880 shares in the company, valued at $1,101,072.40. This represents a 18.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Timothy W. Byrne sold 22,261 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were 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 trade represents a 15.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in USLM. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in United States Lime & Minerals during the second quarter worth $725,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in United States Lime & Minerals by 19.0% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,361 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $496,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in United States Lime & Minerals by 5.3% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,885 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $575,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in United States Lime & Minerals by 691.7% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,003 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $196,000 after acquiring an additional 1,750 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Contravisory Investment Management Inc. raised its position in United States Lime & Minerals by 392.6% during the third quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,960 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $484,000 after acquiring an additional 3,953 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.12% of the company’s stock.

United States Lime & Minerals Company Profile

United States Lime & Minerals, Inc engages in the manufacture and sale of lime and limestone products. Its products include High Calcium Quicklime, Hydrated Lime, Lime Kiln Dust, Lime Slurry, and High Calcium Limestone. The company was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Dallas, TX.