Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $7.56.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on HL. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $10.25 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Roth Mkm reduced their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $6.25 to $6.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th.

Hecla Mining Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE HL opened at $6.77 on Wednesday. Hecla Mining has a 12 month low of $3.33 and a 12 month high of $6.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The company has a market capitalization of $4.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -45.13 and a beta of 2.00. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $5.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $5.38.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.01. Hecla Mining had a negative net margin of 5.56% and a negative return on equity of 0.42%. The company had revenue of $245.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $208.80 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.03 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Hecla Mining will post 0.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a dividend of $0.0138 per share. This is a boost from Hecla Mining’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.00. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -33.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hecla Mining

In other Hecla Mining news, VP Kurt Allen sold 108,612 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.77, for a total transaction of $735,303.24. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 173,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,175,949. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, VP Kurt Allen sold 108,612 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.77, for a total value of $735,303.24. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 173,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,175,949. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Michael L. Clary sold 30,634 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.91, for a total transaction of $150,412.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 351,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,728,182.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 164,038 shares of company stock valued at $1,007,445. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hecla Mining

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 313.6% in the second quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 6,551 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 4,967 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the second quarter worth approximately $41,000. Ballentine Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the second quarter worth approximately $54,000. Oak Family Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the second quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 27.7% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,447 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 2,916 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

Hecla Mining Company Profile

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.