Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of chemical maker U.S. Silica Holdings (SLCA 0.55%) rose 10% today after releasing earnings.
So what: Revenue jumped 58% to $115.9 million and net income rose 83% to $18.8 million, or $0.36 per share. Analysts only expected revenue of $104 million and earnings of $0.33 per share.
Now what: Oil and gas proppants was the company's biggest growth driver with a 166% increase in sales. I wouldn't expect this kind of growth to continue next year as shale drilling growth slows in the U.S., but the company is clearly performing well right now. Shares are trading at just eight times next year's earnings estimates and considering the recent performance I think that gives shares a lot of room to move higher.
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