Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Trading 5.1% Higher – What’s Next?

Shares of Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) were up 5.1% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $5.80 and last traded at $5.86. Approximately 10,630,040 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 8% from the average daily volume of 11,541,591 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.57.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on HL shares. StockNews.com raised Hecla Mining from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 17th. TD Securities lowered shares of Hecla Mining from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $6.50 to $5.50 in a research note on Tuesday. Roth Mkm cut 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. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $11.50 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $7.75.

Hecla Mining Trading Down 0.4 %

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $5.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $5.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a market cap of $3.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 114.92 and a beta of 1.94.

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

Hecla Mining Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.0038 per share. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio is 20.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hecla Mining

In other news, CAO Michael L. Clary sold 32,387 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.18, for a total transaction of $167,764.66. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 246,440 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,276,559.20. This represents a 11.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Russell Douglas Lawlar sold 16,333 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.18, for a total value of $84,604.94. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 297,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,543,551.94. This trade represents a 5.20 % 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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HL. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co bought a new position in Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,451,000. Comprehensive Money Management Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter worth $227,000. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter valued at $144,000. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 148.8% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 24,940 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $122,000 after acquiring an additional 14,915 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Allianz Polska S.A. bought a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter worth $404,000. Institutional investors 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.