StockNews.com Initiates Coverage on U.S. Silica (NYSE:SLCA)

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

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

U.S. Silica Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE SLCA opened at $15.49 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.54 and a beta of 2.16. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $13.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.03. The company has a quick ratio of 2.74, a current ratio of 3.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. U.S. Silica has a 52-week low of $10.09 and a 52-week high of $16.03.

U.S. Silica (NYSE:SLCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The mining company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.20. The firm had revenue of $325.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 for the quarter was down 26.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.64 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that U.S. Silica will post 1.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other U.S. Silica news, EVP Stacy Russell sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.00, for a total value of $240,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 186,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,241,024. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other U.S. Silica news, EVP Stacy Russell sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.00, for a total transaction of $240,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 186,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,241,024. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP James Derek Ussery sold 46,433 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 $2,446,808. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 109,038 shares of company stock valued at $1,552,570. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in U.S. Silica by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 26,500 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in U.S. Silica by 25.8% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,773 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 978 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in U.S. Silica by 7.4% in the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 15,237 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $189,000 after acquiring an additional 1,052 shares in the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in U.S. Silica by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 16,909 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 1,078 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of U.S. Silica by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 59,533 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $836,000 after purchasing an additional 1,253 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.