Silica Holdings (SLCA Quick QuoteSLCA - Free Report) shares soared 14.6% in the last trading session to close at $9.72. The move was backed by solid volume with far more shares changing hands than in a normal session. This compares to the stock's 0.7% loss over the past four weeks.

SLCA’s shares popped after it announced that it is exploring strategic alternatives for its Industrial & Specialty Products (ISP) Segment. The company is commencing a review of strategic alternatives for the unit. The options currently under consideration include a potential sale or separation of the segment. The company believes that a sale or separation of the segment has the potential to unlock significant value and maximize returns for its shareholders. It also noted that there is no assurance that sale, separation or any other transaction will take place.

This commercial silica producer is expected to post quarterly loss of $0.11 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +26.7%. Revenues are expected to be $282.6 million, up 60.1% from the year-ago quarter.

While earnings and revenue growth expectations are important in evaluating the potential strength in a stock, empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.

For Silica Holdings, the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. And a stock's price usually doesn't keep moving higher in the absence of any trend in earnings estimate revisions. So, make sure to keep an eye on SLCA going forward to see if this recent jump can turn into more strength down the road.

The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>