Through our lime and limestone operations, we are a manufacturer of lime and limestone products, supplying primarily the construction (including highway, road and building contractors), industrial (including paper and glass manufacturers), environmental (including municipal sanitation and water treatment facilities and flue gas treatment processes), metals (including steel producers), oil and gas services, roof shingle manufacturers and agriculture (including poultry and cattle feed producers) industries. We are headquartered in Dallas, Texas and operate lime and limestone plants and distribution facilities in Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas through our wholly owned subsidiaries, Arkansas Lime Company, Colorado Lime Company, Texas Lime Company, U.S. Lime Company, U.S. Lime Company – Shreveport, U.S. Lime Company – St. Clair, ART Quarry TRS LLC (DBA Carthage Crushed Limestone) and U.S. Lime Company – Transportation. The lime and limestone operations represent our principal business.
On July 1, 2020, we acquired Carthage Crushed Limestone (“Carthage”), a limestone mining and production company located in Carthage, Missouri, for $8.4 million cash, subject to adjustment for working capital balances acquired. Carthage provides aggregate and pulverized limestone products that are used primarily in the agricultural, construction, roofing, and industrial industries. Carthage contributed $2.2 million to our revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2021.
In addition to our lime and limestone operations, we hold natural gas interests through our wholly owned subsidiary, U.S. Lime Company – O & G, LLC. The revenues, gross profit and operating profit from our natural gas interests are included in Other for our reportable segment disclosures. Assets related to our natural gas interests, unallocated corporate assets, and cash items are included in Other identified assets.
Revenues increased 8.4% in the first quarter 2021, compared to the first quarter 2020. Carthage contributed $2.2 million to the Company’s revenues for the first quarter 2021. The increase in our lime and limestone revenues in the first quarter 2021 resulted primarily due to the addition of limestone sales by Carthage to agriculture and roofing customers, and increased sales to the Company’s construction customers, partially offset by decreased demand from the Company’s oil and gas services customers. First quarter 2021 revenues were also favorably impacted by increases in the average selling prices for our lime and limestone products.
Gross profit increased 19.5% in the first quarter 2021, compared to the first quarter 2020. The increase in gross profit in the first quarter 2021, compared to the first quarter 2020, resulted primarily from the increased revenues discussed above and increased operating efficiencies.
Federal, state, and local governmental restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have continued to impact general business activities in the markets for our lime and limestone products. While vaccination programs are having a positive effect on the resumption of normal business activities, the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, and its magnitude and continuing effects remain uncertain, and COVID-19 could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and competitive position.
In February 2021, the southern United States experienced severe winter storms which interrupted transportation, commerce, and utility services in the affected areas, including the delivery of electricity and natural gas to our plants. While our operations were briefly curtailed, our plants did not sustain any significant damage from the storms.
At our upcoming 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, shareholders will vote on a proposal to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock from 15,000,000 to 30,000,000. If the proposal is approved by the shareholders, possible uses of the additional shares of common stock include, without limitation, future stock splits, stock dividends, rights offerings, acquiring other companies, businesses or products in exchange for shares of common stock, attracting and retaining employees by the issuance of additional securities under our Amended and Restated 2001 Long-Term Incentive Plan and any future equity compensation plans, issuance of securities underlying shares convertible into common stock, and other transactions and corporate purposes for which the board deems it in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders.
Liquidity and Capital Resources.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $11.6 million in the first quarter 2021, compared to $11.5 million in the first quarter 2020, an increase of $0.1 million, or 1.0%. Our net cash provided by operating activities is composed of net income, depreciation, depletion and amortization (“DD&A”), deferred income taxes, other non-cash items included in net income and changes in working capital. In the first quarter 2021, net cash provided by operating