Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the five research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $7.13.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Roth Mkm cut their price objective on shares of Hecla Mining from $6.60 to $6.50 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $11.50 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Friday, February 14th. TD Securities decreased their price objective on Hecla Mining from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $5.50 price objective (down previously from $7.50) on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hecla Mining from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 17th.

Insider Transactions at Hecla Mining

In related news, Director Catherine J. Boggs bought 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $4.99 per share, for a total transaction of $99,800.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 348,169 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,737,363.31. This trade represents a 6.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hecla Mining

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in Hecla Mining by 100.5% in the 4th quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 15,885,647 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $77,999,000 after acquiring an additional 7,960,826 shares during the last quarter. Pale Fire Capital SE purchased a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the first quarter worth about $41,360,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter worth about $18,441,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Hecla Mining in the first quarter valued at approximately $18,410,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in Hecla Mining by 182.4% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 5,006,115 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $24,580,000 after buying an additional 3,233,116 shares during the period. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hecla Mining Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of HL traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $5.13. 1,655,562 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,232,958. The company has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 102.12 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.55 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 company's 50 day moving average is $5.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.43.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $238.50 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.01) earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 37.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Hecla Mining Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.29%. Hecla Mining's dividend payout ratio is presently 9.09%.

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.