Nuveen Asset Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Free Report) by 36.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,404,327 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 2,569,841 shares during the quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned 0.70% of Hecla Mining worth $21,625,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 30.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,351 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,961 shares during the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Haven Private LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. 63.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hecla Mining Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Hecla Mining stock traded down $0.01 during trading on Thursday, reaching $5.26. 3,636,641 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 20,230,498. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.55. Hecla Mining has a 1-year low of $4.41 and a 1-year high of $7.68. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $5.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $5.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.32 billion, a PE ratio of 105.12 and a beta of 1.57.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.05 by ($0.01). Hecla Mining had a return on equity of 3.10% and a net margin of 3.85%. The business had revenue of $261.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $238.50 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.01) EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 37.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.0038 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.29%. Hecla Mining's payout ratio is 9.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hecla Mining news, Director Catherine J. Boggs acquired 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $4.99 per share, for a total transaction of $99,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 348,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,737,363.31. This represents a 6.09% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. TD Securities reduced their price objective on shares of Hecla Mining from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 5th. National Bank Financial raised shares of Hecla Mining to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Roth Mkm reduced their price objective on shares of Hecla Mining from $6.60 to $6.50 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hecla Mining from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $5.50 target price (down previously from $7.50) on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $7.13.

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.