U.S. Silica (NYSE:SLCA) Price Target Raised to $15.50

U.S. Silica (NYSE:SLCA - Get Free Report) had its target price upped by investment analysts at Citigroup from $13.50 to $15.50 in a research report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the mining company's stock. Citigroup's price target suggests a potential upside of 0.26% from the company's current price.

U.S. Silica Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of SLCA stock traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $15.46. 1,691,924 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,103,679. U.S. Silica has a fifty-two week low of $10.09 and a fifty-two week high of $16.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 2.74 and a current ratio of 3.62. The company has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.54 and a beta of 2.23. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $12.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.69.

U.S. Silica (NYSE:SLCA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The mining company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20. U.S. Silica had a net margin of 8.08% and a return on equity of 13.77%. The business had revenue of $325.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $336.59 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 26.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that U.S. Silica will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at U.S. Silica

In other U.S. Silica news, EVP Zach Carusona sold 42,605 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.55, for a total value of $662,507.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 160,929 shares in the company, valued at $2,502,445.95. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, EVP Zach Carusona sold 42,605 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.55, for a total transaction of $662,507.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 160,929 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,502,445.95. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP James Derek Ussery sold 46,433 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.00, for a total value of $650,062.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 174,772 shares in the company, valued at $2,446,808. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 109,038 shares of company stock worth $1,552,570. 3.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in U.S. Silica by 12.9% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 110,643 shares of the mining company's stock worth $1,373,000 after acquiring an additional 12,647 shares during the period. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. purchased a new position in U.S. Silica in the 1st quarter worth about $148,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in U.S. Silica by 198.3% in the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 4,720,901 shares of the mining company's stock worth $57,839,000 after purchasing an additional 3,138,425 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co purchased a new position in U.S. Silica in the 1st quarter worth about $186,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in U.S. Silica by 25.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,773 shares of the mining company's stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 978 shares in the last quarter. 87.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About U.S. Silica

U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc produces and sells commercial silica in the United States. It operates through two segments: Oil & Gas Proppants and Industrial & Specialty Products. The company offers whole grain commercial silica products to be used as frac for oil and natural gas recovery, as well as sells its whole grain silica products for the manufacturing of glass products.