Freedom Broker Has Lowered Expectations for United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM) Stock Price

Key Points

• Freedom Broker lowered its price target for United States Lime & Minerals from $132 to $131 while maintaining a “buy” rating, implying roughly 10.1% upside from the prior close. Weiss Ratings also upgraded the stock to “buy,” giving it an overall average rating of Buy.
• USLM shares rose 6.6% to $118.99, despite the company reporting quarterly EPS of $1.32 and revenue of $106.19 million—both below analyst expectations of $1.48 EPS and $122 million in revenue.
• Institutional investors own 27.12% of the company, while recent insider activity was mixed: a major shareholder purchased 20,000 shares, and a director sold 20,000 shares.

United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM - Get Free Report) had its price target reduced by equities researchers at Freedom Broker from $132.00 to $131.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the construction company's stock. Freedom Broker's price target points to a potential upside of 10.09% from the company's previous close.

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded United States Lime & Minerals from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United States Lime & Minerals currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $131.00.

United States Lime & Minerals Trading Up 6.6%

Shares of USLM traded up $7.38 on Monday, reaching $118.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 324,351 shares, compared to its average volume of 155,288. United States Lime & Minerals has a twelve month low of $96.27 and a twelve month high of $141.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a PE ratio of 25.64 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $112.73 and a 200-day moving average of $115.26.

United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The construction company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $106.19 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $122.00 million. United States Lime & Minerals had a net margin of 35.08% and a return on equity of 20.18%.

Insider Transactions at United States Lime & Minerals

In other news, major shareholder Holdings Ltd. Candou purchased 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $110.00 per share, for a total transaction of $2,200,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 17,673,780 shares in the company, valued at $1,944,115,800. This trade represents a 0.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Antoine M. Doumet sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $2,200,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 90,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,900,000. The trade was a 18.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United States Lime & Minerals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 18.5% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 743 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in United States Lime & Minerals by 77.1% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 379 shares of the construction company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management boosted its position in United States Lime & Minerals by 0.5% in the third quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 44,780 shares of the construction company's stock worth $5,065,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in United States Lime & Minerals by 833.3% in the third quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 364 shares of the construction company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in United States Lime & Minerals by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 19,737 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,578,000 after purchasing an additional 583 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.12% of the company's stock.

United States Lime & Minerals Company Profile

United States Lime & Minerals, Inc is a producer of lime and limestone products used in construction, industrial processing, environmental applications and other commercial activities. The company operates through its Lime and Limestone Operations segments.

Its product portfolio includes quicklime, hydrated lime and various crushed limestone and aggregate products. These materials are used in applications such as road construction, concrete and asphalt production, water and wastewater treatment, flue-gas treatment, steel manufacturing and other industrial processes.

Founded in 1948, United States Lime & Minerals serves customers primarily in Texas and surrounding regions, with production and distribution activities focused on the south-central United States.

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