Short Interest in United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. (NASDAQ:USLM) Increases By 26.1%

United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. (NASDAQ:USLM - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 267,000 shares, an increase of 26.1% from the December 31st total of 211,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 111,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United States Lime & Minerals news, CEO Timothy W. Byrne sold 22,261 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 125,004 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,716,816.92. This represents a 15.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Nathan O'neill sold 1,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.73, for a total value of $244,527.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 7,880 shares in the company, valued at $1,101,072.40. The trade was a 18.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.62% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United States Lime & Minerals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of USLM. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in United States Lime & Minerals by 202.6% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 489,909 shares of the construction company's stock worth $47,845,000 after purchasing an additional 327,983 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP increased its position in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 322.3% during the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 352,200 shares of the construction company's stock worth $34,396,000 after purchasing an additional 268,800 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in United States Lime & Minerals by 422.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 308,049 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $30,089,000 after purchasing an additional 249,115 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in United States Lime & Minerals by 421.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 242,826 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $23,714,000 after buying an additional 196,277 shares during the period. Finally, Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of United States Lime & Minerals by 352.0% during the third quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 103,033 shares of the construction company's stock worth $10,062,000 after buying an additional 80,237 shares during the period. 27.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of United States Lime & Minerals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd.

United States Lime & Minerals Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of USLM traded down $0.61 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $111.70. 103,642 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 139,232. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.38 and a beta of 0.91. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $131.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $109.44. United States Lime & Minerals has a 12-month low of $48.38 and a 12-month high of $159.53.

United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The construction company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter. United States Lime & Minerals had a return on equity of 22.95% and a net margin of 32.60%.

United States Lime & Minerals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from United States Lime & Minerals's previous quarterly dividend of $0.05. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.21%. United States Lime & Minerals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.80%.

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.