Short Interest in United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. (NASDAQ:USLM) Grows By 38.7%

United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. (NASDAQ:USLM) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 498,900 shares, a growth of 38.7% from the January 31st total of 359,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 126,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.9 days.

Insider Activity at United States Lime & Minerals

In other United States Lime & Minerals news, Director Sandra C. Duhe sold 3,157 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.61, for a total transaction of $298,683.77. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,128 shares in the company, valued at $201,330.08. This trade represents a 59.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United States Lime & Minerals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 714,224 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $94,806,000 after buying an additional 10,614 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in United States Lime & Minerals by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 507,541 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $67,372,000 after acquiring an additional 28,947 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in United States Lime & Minerals by 202.6% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 489,909 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $47,845,000 after acquiring an additional 327,983 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in United States Lime & Minerals by 322.3% in the third quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 352,200 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $34,396,000 after acquiring an additional 268,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Select Equity Group L.P. increased its stake in United States Lime & Minerals by 46.3% in the fourth quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 328,354 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $43,586,000 after acquiring an additional 103,948 shares during the last quarter. 27.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United States Lime & Minerals Trading Up 0.8 %

USLM stock traded up $0.71 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $90.75. 38,799 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 127,251. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $113.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $112.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.59 billion, a PE ratio of 23.82 and a beta of 0.91. United States Lime & Minerals has a 1-year low of $54.21 and a 1-year high of $159.53.

United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM) last released its quarterly 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 34.27% and a return on equity of 24.55%.

United States Lime & Minerals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. 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 presently 6.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.