Lazard Asset Management LLC Acquires 19,773 Shares of United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. (NASDAQ:USLM)

Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. (NASDAQ:USLM - Free Report) by 95.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,511 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 19,773 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.14% of United States Lime & Minerals worth $5,377,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of USLM. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 432.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 6,036 shares of the construction company's stock worth $612,000 after purchasing an additional 4,902 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 454.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,697 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,045,000 after buying an additional 8,768 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 1,182.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 21,512 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,101,000 after buying an additional 19,835 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,390 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $848,000 after buying an additional 546 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 16.8% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 21,425 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,844,000 after acquiring an additional 3,081 shares during the period. 27.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United States Lime & Minerals news, Director Sandra C. Duhe sold 3,157 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.61, for a total value of $298,683.77. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,128 shares of the company's stock, valued at $201,330.08. This trade represents a 59.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded United States Lime & Minerals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd.

United States Lime & Minerals Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of USLM traded down $0.30 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $103.93. 20,900 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 96,799. The company has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.47 and a beta of 0.97. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $93.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.03. United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.25 and a 1 year high of $159.53.

United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter. United States Lime & Minerals had a return on equity of 24.55% and a net margin of 34.27%. The company had revenue of $91.25 million during the quarter.

United States Lime & Minerals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.23%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. United States Lime & Minerals's dividend payout ratio is 5.71%.

United States Lime & Minerals 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.