United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. (NASDAQ:USLM) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Key Points

• United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. experienced a dramatic increase in short interest of 816.3% in July, bringing the total to 455,400 shares as of July 15th.
• The company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, falling short of analysts' expectations of $1.14 and had revenue of $91.52 million, below the expected $101 million.
• A quarterly dividend of $0.06 will be paid on September 12th to stockholders of record, representing an annualized dividend yield of 0.2%.

United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. (NASDAQ:USLM - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 455,400 shares, agrowthof816.3% from the June 30th total of 49,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 140,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.2 days. Based on an average daily volume of 140,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.2 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of USLM. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in United States Lime & Minerals during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in United States Lime & Minerals in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new stake in United States Lime & Minerals in the fourth quarter worth about $72,000. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 4,902.8% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,801 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $159,000 after purchasing an additional 1,765 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury bought a new position in shares of United States Lime & Minerals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $181,000. 27.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United States Lime & Minerals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:USLM traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $106.67. 114,179 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 128,748. United States Lime & Minerals has a 12 month low of $68.85 and a 12 month high of $159.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $102.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $99.81. The company has a market cap of $3.06 billion, a PE ratio of 24.47 and a beta of 0.98.

United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The construction company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by ($0.07). United States Lime & Minerals had a return on equity of 24.24% and a net margin of 35.57%. The firm had revenue of $91.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.00 million.

United States Lime & Minerals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 22nd will be issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 22nd. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. United States Lime & Minerals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of United States Lime & Minerals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday.

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.