U.S. Silica (NYSE:SLCA) Now Covered by StockNews.com

Equities research analysts at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of U.S. Silica (NYSE:SLCA) in a note issued to investors on Sunday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the mining company’s stock.

Separately, Citigroup raised their price objective on U.S. Silica from $13.50 to $15.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st.

U.S. Silica Price Performance

Shares of SLCA stock opened at $15.24 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $15.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.67. The firm has a market cap of $1.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.37 and a beta of 2.03. U.S. Silica has a 1-year low of $10.09 and a 1-year high of $16.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 3.62 and a quick ratio of 2.74.

U.S. Silica (NYSE:SLCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The mining company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20. U.S. Silica had a return on equity of 13.77% and a net margin of 8.08%. The business had revenue of $325.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $336.59 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that U.S. Silica will post 1.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at U.S. Silica

In other U.S. Silica news, EVP Zach Carusona sold 42,605 shares of U.S. Silica stock in a transaction on Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.55, for a total transaction of $662,507.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 160,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,502,445.95. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP James Derek Ussery sold 46,433 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.00, for a total value of $650,062.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 174,772 shares in the company, valued at $2,446,808. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Zach Carusona sold 42,605 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.55, for a total value of $662,507.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 160,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,502,445.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On U.S. Silica

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of U.S. Silica by 198.3% in the first quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 4,720,901 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $57,839,000 after buying an additional 3,138,425 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of U.S. Silica by 90.4% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,817,279 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $43,173,000 after purchasing an additional 1,811,951 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in shares of U.S. Silica by 49.3% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,027,823 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $26,034,000 after purchasing an additional 669,534 shares during the last quarter. Findell Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of U.S. Silica in the 4th quarter valued at $5,881,000. Finally, Soviero Asset Management LP purchased a new position in U.S. Silica in the 4th quarter worth about $4,467,000. 87.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

U.S. Silica Company Profile

U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc produces and sells commercial silica in the United States. It operates through two segments: Oil & Gas Proppants and Industrial & Specialty Products. The company offers whole grain commercial silica products to be used as frac for oil and natural gas recovery, as well as sells its whole grain silica products for the manufacturing of glass products.