Short Interest in United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. (NASDAQ:USLM) Rises By 816.3%

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 large growth in short interest during 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 trading volume of 140,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days. Based on an average trading volume of 140,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United States Lime & Minerals

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in United States Lime & Minerals by 13.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 808,373 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $71,444,000 after purchasing an additional 94,149 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 507,541 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $67,372,000 after acquiring an additional 28,947 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 24.5% in the 2nd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 357,690 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $35,697,000 after acquiring an additional 70,457 shares during the period. Select Equity Group L.P. raised its stake in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 339,786 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $30,030,000 after acquiring an additional 11,432 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 314,531 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $41,759,000 after acquiring an additional 6,482 shares during the period. 27.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

United States Lime & Minerals Stock Performance

NASDAQ USLM traded up $4.62 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $103.64. 170,046 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 138,250. The business's 50 day moving average is $102.81 and its 200-day moving average is $99.93. United States Lime & Minerals has a 1 year low of $65.45 and a 1 year high of $159.53. The company has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.77 and a beta of 0.98.

United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The construction company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.14 by ($0.07). United States Lime & Minerals had a return on equity of 24.99% and a net margin of 35.57%. The firm had revenue of $91.52 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $101.00 million.

United States Lime & Minerals Dividend Announcement

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

About United States Lime & Minerals

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.