United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold”

StockNews.com cut shares of United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning.

United States Lime & Minerals Price Performance

United States Lime & Minerals stock opened at $102.67 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $125.51 and a 200-day moving average of $110.25. The company has a market capitalization of $2.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.06 and a beta of 0.91. United States Lime & Minerals has a 1 year low of $49.02 and a 1 year high of $159.53.

United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The construction company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders 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 0.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from United States Lime & Minerals’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.05. United States Lime & Minerals’s payout ratio is 5.27%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Timothy W. Byrne sold 22,261 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.73, for a total value of $3,155,051.53. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 125,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,716,816.92. This represents a 15.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United States Lime & Minerals

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of USLM. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in United States Lime & Minerals by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 714,224 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $94,806,000 after acquiring an additional 10,614 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in United States Lime & Minerals by 202.6% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 489,909 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $47,845,000 after purchasing an additional 327,983 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP increased its holdings 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 worth $34,396,000 after purchasing an additional 268,800 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in United States Lime & Minerals by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 314,531 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $41,759,000 after purchasing an additional 6,482 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in United States Lime & Minerals by 421.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 242,826 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $23,714,000 after buying an additional 196,277 shares during the period. 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.