U.S. Silica (SLCA) Prices Public Offering Of Common Stock

U.S. Silica (NYSE:SLCA) said that it has priced an underwritten public offering of 9 million shares of its common stock for aggregate gross proceeds of $416,250,000. The offering, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close on Nov 16, 2016.

The underwriters have been granted a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1.35 million common shares. Morgan Stanley & Co (NYSE:MS). LLC and Barclays (LON:BARC) Capital Inc. acted as joint book-running managers for the public offering.

U.S. Silica plans to utilize the net proceeds of the offering for general corporate purposes. This includes potential acquisition of complementary businesses or assets.

U.S. Silica registered a loss of $11.3 million or 17 cents per share in third-quarter 2016. The company had posted a profit of $2.4 million or 4 cents per share a year ago. The results in the third quarter were unfavorably impacted by business development-related expenses. However, adjusted loss of 13 cents per share in the quarter was narrower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 19 cents.

Revenues fell 11% year over year to $137.7 million in the third quarter, trailing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $138 million. Overall sales volume fell 5% year over year to 2.5 million tons in the quarter.

U.S. Silica said that it will not provide any guidance for adjusted EBITDA until it gets a clear picture of business activity levels and related demand for its products. Factoring in the current market conditions, the company expects its capital expenditures for 2016 to be in the band of $42–$47 million.

While U.S. Silica is facing sustained challenges in its Oil and Gas segment, it remains focused on cost reduction and operational efficiency improvement. The company is executing many cost improvement projects throughout its supply chain.

U.S. Silica’s strong balance sheet also provides it with ample opportunities for making strategic investments that will help expand the life of its flagship operation and ensure its long-term competitive position in the market.

U.S. Silica currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Other Stocks to Consider

Other well-placed companies in the basic materials space include Innophos Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:IPHS) , FMC Corp. (NYSE:FMC) and Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE) . .

Innophos holds a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The company has an expected earnings growth of 51.4% for the current year.

FMC has an expected earnings growth of around 14.2% for the current year. The stock carries a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Celanese carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has an expected earnings growth of around 9.4% for the current year.

The Best Place to Start Your Stock Search

Today, you are invited to download the full list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buy" stocks – absolutely free of charge. Since 1988, Zacks Rank #1 stocks have nearly tripled the market, with average gains of +26% per year. Plus, you can access the list of portfolio-killing Zacks Rank #5 "Strong Sells" and other private research. See these stocks free >>