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

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

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

U.S. Silica Price Performance

Shares of SLCA opened at $15.38 on Friday. 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. The company has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.46 and a beta of 2.03. The business has a 50-day moving average of $15.05 and a 200-day moving average of $12.72.

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

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of U.S. Silica during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Callahan Advisors LLC purchased a new position in U.S. Silica in the fourth quarter worth $124,000. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. purchased a new position in U.S. Silica in the first quarter worth $148,000. Bayesian Capital Management LP purchased a new position in U.S. Silica in the first quarter worth $159,000. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new position in U.S. Silica in the third quarter worth $187,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.77% of the company’s stock.

About U.S. Silica

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.