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 released on Wednesday morning.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $10.25 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Roth Mkm cut their target price on Hecla Mining from $6.25 to $6.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $7.56.

Hecla Mining Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE HL opened at $6.64 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $4.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -82.94 and a beta of 2.01. Hecla Mining has a 12-month low of $3.33 and a 12-month high of $7.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $6.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $5.62.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last announced its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $245.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $208.80 million. Hecla Mining had a negative return on equity of 0.42% and a negative net margin of 5.56%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.03 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Hecla Mining will post 0.07 EPS for the current year.

Hecla Mining Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.0138 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This is a boost from Hecla Mining’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.00. This represents a $0.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -62.50%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Kurt Allen sold 108,612 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.77, for a total value of $735,303.24. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 173,700 shares in the company, valued at $1,175,949. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hecla Mining

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 4,967 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Hecla Mining during the 2nd quarter worth about $41,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new position in Hecla Mining during the 3rd quarter worth about $49,000. Ballentine Partners LLC bought a new position in Hecla Mining during the 2nd quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, Oak Family Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hecla Mining during the 2nd quarter worth about $55,000. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.