Investors Purchase High Volume of Hecla Mining Call Options (NYSE:HL)

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders purchased 16,021 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 43% compared to the average daily volume of 11,165 call options.

Hecla Mining Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HL traded down $0.05 during trading on Monday, reaching $7.26. 7,053,532 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,764,729. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $6.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.70. Hecla Mining has a 52-week low of $3.33 and a 52-week high of $7.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.55 billion, a PE ratio of -50.40 and a beta of 2.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $208.80 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.03 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hecla Mining will post 0.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Hecla Mining Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a $0.0138 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. This is a positive change from Hecla Mining’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.00. Hecla Mining’s payout ratio is presently -33.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on HL. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $10.25 price objective on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note 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 for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Hecla Mining from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hecla Mining currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $7.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Kurt Allen sold 108,612 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.77, for a total transaction of $735,303.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 173,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,175,949. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hecla Mining

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 2,916 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 0.9% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 338,040 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,639,000 after buying an additional 2,939 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its position in Hecla Mining by 8.2% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 44,553 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $216,000 after buying an additional 3,386 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC grew its position in Hecla Mining by 12.1% during the second quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 40,729 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $198,000 after buying an additional 4,400 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Hecla Mining by 2.4% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 190,504 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $924,000 after buying an additional 4,514 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.