United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM) Trading 3.9% Higher – Still a Buy?

United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. (NASDAQ:USLM) shares were up 3.9% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $121.99 and last traded at $121.81. Approximately 26,340 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 128,780 shares. The stock had previously closed at $117.27.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded United States Lime & Minerals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd.

United States Lime & Minerals Trading Up 2.4 %

The company has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.81 and a beta of 0.93. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $138.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $103.31.

United States Lime & Minerals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd were issued a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. United States Lime & Minerals’s payout ratio is currently 5.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United States Lime & Minerals

In other news, CEO Timothy W. Byrne sold 22,261 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.73, for a total value of $3,155,051.53. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 125,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,716,816.92. This represents a 15.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Nathan O’neill sold 1,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.73, for a total value of $244,527.50. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 7,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,101,072.40. The trade was a 18.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.62% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of United States Lime & Minerals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of USLM. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in United States Lime & Minerals by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 17,553 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,392,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of United States Lime & Minerals in the second quarter worth $233,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in United States Lime & Minerals in the second quarter valued at $125,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in United States Lime & Minerals by 10.5% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 13,120 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,778,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United States Lime & Minerals in the 2nd quarter worth about $21,119,000. 27.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United States Lime & Minerals Company Profile

United States Lime & Minerals, Inc manufactures and supplies lime and limestone products in the United States. It extracts limestone from open-pit quarries and an underground mine, and processes it as pulverized limestone, quicklime, hydrated lime, and lime slurry. The company supplies its products primarily to the construction customers, including highway, road, and building contractors; industrial customers, such as paper and glass manufacturers; environmental customers comprising municipal sanitation and water treatment facilities, and flue gas treatment processes; oil and gas services companies; roof shingle manufacturers; and poultry producers.