Van ECK Associates Corp Sells 16,511 Shares of U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SLCA)

Van ECK Associates Corp decreased its position in shares of U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SLCA) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,582,476 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 16,511 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in U.S. Silica were worth $17,898,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TD Asset Management Inc raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 900 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P. grew its position in shares of U.S. Silica by 6.8% in the third quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 16,909 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 1,078 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its stake 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 during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in U.S. Silica by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 19,049 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 1,291 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bailard Inc. boosted its stake in U.S. Silica by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 32,404 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $455,000 after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.77% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

U.S. Silica Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:SLCA opened at $15.46 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $12.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.69. The company has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.52 and a beta of 2.15. 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 Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $10.09 and a one year high of $16.03.

U.S. Silica (NYSE:SLCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The mining company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.20. The company had revenue of $325.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $336.59 million. U.S. Silica had a return on equity of 13.77% and a net margin of 8.08%. U.S. Silica’s revenue was down 26.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. will post 1.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Zach Carusona sold 42,605 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 26th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,502,445.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, EVP Zach Carusona sold 42,605 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.55, for a total value of $662,507.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 160,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,502,445.95. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP James Derek Ussery sold 46,433 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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. Insiders sold a total of 109,038 shares of company stock valued at $1,552,570 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 3.70% 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.