Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Stock Rating Upgraded by National Bank Financial

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by National Bank Financial to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on HL. Roth Mkm dropped their price target on Hecla Mining from $6.60 to $6.50 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating and set a $5.50 target price (down from $7.50) on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hecla Mining from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 17th. TD Securities dropped their price objective on shares of Hecla Mining from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $11.50 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $7.10.

Hecla Mining Trading Up 2.8%

NYSE HL traded up $0.17 on Thursday, reaching $6.11. The company had a trading volume of 28,967,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,084,208. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Hecla Mining has a 52 week low of $4.41 and a 52 week high of $7.68. The stock has a market cap of $3.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 122.12 and a beta of 1.44. The stock's 50 day moving average is $5.49 and its 200-day moving average is $5.46.

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 firm had revenue of $261.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $238.50 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.01) EPS. The firm's revenue was up 37.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Hecla Mining news, Director Catherine J. Boggs purchased 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $4.99 per share, with a total value of $99,800.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 348,169 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,737,363.31. This represents a 6.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Stuart Maurice Absolom sold 18,926 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.66, for a total transaction of $126,047.16. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 59,410 shares in the company, valued at approximately $395,670.60. This represents a 24.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Hecla Mining

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HL. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new position in Hecla Mining during the first quarter valued at $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Hecla Mining in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Haven Private LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, DRW Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Hecla Mining during the 1st quarter worth $54,000. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.