Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Shares Up 4.5% – Here’s Why

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL)’s share price was up 4.5% on Monday . The company traded as high as $6.21 and last traded at $6.07. Approximately 2,550,581 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 13,129,096 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.81.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Roth Mkm reduced their target price on shares of Hecla Mining from $6.60 to $6.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $11.50 price objective on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Hecla Mining from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 17th. National Bank Financial upgraded shares of Hecla Mining to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, TD Securities lowered shares of Hecla Mining from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $6.50 to $5.50 in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $7.75.

Hecla Mining Stock Up 1.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.08. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $5.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $5.69. The stock has a market cap of $3.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 118.22 and a beta of 1.77.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.05 by ($0.01). Hecla Mining had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 3.10%. The firm had revenue of $249.66 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $229.21 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.0038 per share. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.00%.

Insider Activity

In other Hecla Mining news, CEO Robert Krcmarov bought 6,570 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $5.29 per share, with a total value of $34,755.30. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 331,856 shares in the company, valued at $1,755,518.24. This trade represents a 2.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Kurt Allen sold 9,195 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.18, for a total value of $47,630.10. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 104,512 shares in the company, valued at approximately $541,372.16. This trade represents a 8.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 57,915 shares of company stock valued at $300,000 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hecla Mining

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HL. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 30.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,351 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 1,961 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Hecla Mining by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 18,883 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $93,000 after purchasing an additional 2,169 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in Hecla Mining by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 173,616 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $852,000 after purchasing an additional 2,297 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in Hecla Mining by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 25,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $125,000 after buying an additional 2,457 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC increased its holdings in Hecla Mining by 28.6% in the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 13,229 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $88,000 after buying an additional 2,944 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

About Hecla Mining

Hecla Mining Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides precious and base metal properties in the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, and China. The company mines for silver, gold, lead, and zinc concentrates, as well as carbon material containing silver and gold for custom smelters, metal traders, and third-party processors; and doré containing silver and gold.