Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina (NYSE:LOMA) Shares Climb 5.1% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Loma Negra shares rose 5.1% to about $10.00 in midday trading, with volume 31% above the average session level.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but leans positive: Citigroup maintained a Buy rating, while Weiss Ratings and Wall Street Zen downgraded the stock to Hold; MarketBeat’s average rating is “Moderate Buy.”
• The company’s latest quarterly results were mixed, with EPS of $0.05 missing the $0.11 consensus estimate, although revenue of $160.41 million exceeded expectations of $108.44 million. Institutional investors collectively own 19.32% of the stock.

Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina S.A. Sponsored ADR (NYSE:LOMA - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 5.1% on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $10.02 and last traded at $10.0040. 616,091 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 31% from the average session volume of 470,208 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.52.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Stock Up 5.1%

The stock's fifty day moving average price is $9.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.83. The company has a current ratio of 2.25, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.72.

Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina (NYSE:LOMA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.11 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $160.41 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $108.44 million. Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina had a return on equity of 3.79% and a net margin of 5.05%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina S.A. Sponsored ADR will post 0.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Absolute Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. boosted its holdings in Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina by 72.6% during the 1st quarter. Absolute Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. now owns 147,436 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,635,000 after acquiring an additional 62,010 shares during the period. Crocodile Capital Partners GmbH lifted its position in Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina by 47.6% in the second quarter. Crocodile Capital Partners GmbH now owns 147,250 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,686,000 after purchasing an additional 47,514 shares during the last quarter. ABS Direct Equity Fund LLC boosted its stake in shares of Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina by 73.1% during the first quarter. ABS Direct Equity Fund LLC now owns 179,961 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,996,000 after purchasing an additional 75,971 shares during the period. Finally, Fourth Sail Capital LP grew its holdings in shares of Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP now owns 2,404,072 shares of the company's stock worth $31,133,000 after purchasing an additional 32,148 shares during the last quarter. 19.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Company Profile

Loma Negra Compañía Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anónima is an Argentina-based manufacturer of cement and related construction materials. The company produces and sells cement, masonry cement, ready-mix concrete and aggregates for residential, commercial and infrastructure projects. It also produces lime used in construction and industrial applications.

Founded in 1926, Loma Negra has developed an integrated production and distribution network serving customers throughout Argentina. Its operations include cement plants, concrete facilities and distribution centers, allowing the company to supply construction markets across multiple regions of the country.

Loma Negra serves building-material distributors, contractors, developers and infrastructure companies.

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