Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Lifted to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Friday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Roth Mkm reduced their price target on Hecla Mining from $6.25 to $6.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. HC Wainwright restated a buy rating and set a $10.25 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hecla Mining has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $7.56.

Hecla Mining Stock Down 5.3 %

Shares of NYSE:HL opened at $6.80 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $5.90 and its 200 day moving average is $5.48. The stock has a market cap of $4.26 billion, a P/E ratio of -45.33 and a beta of 2.00. Hecla Mining has a 52-week low of $3.33 and a 52-week high of $7.40. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.01 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $245.66 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $208.80 million. Hecla Mining had a negative net margin of 5.56% and a negative return on equity of 0.42%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.03 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Hecla Mining will post 0.05 EPS for the current year.

Hecla Mining Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a $0.0138 dividend. This represents a $0.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This is a positive change from Hecla Mining’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.00. Hecla Mining’s payout ratio is presently -33.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hecla Mining news, VP Kurt Allen sold 108,612 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.77, for a total value of $735,303.24. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 173,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,175,949. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 313.6% in the 2nd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 6,551 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 4,967 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the second quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Oak Family Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Hecla Mining by 27.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,447 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 2,916 shares in the last quarter. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.