Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Shares Down 3.3% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Hecla Mining's stock dropped 3.3% to $11.67 on Friday, with trading volume decreasing by 84% compared to its average daily volume.
• Analyst ratings reveal a mix, with two analysts issuing a Buy rating, five a Hold rating, and one a Sell rating, resulting in a consensus price target of $7.75.
• The company reported a quarterly revenue of $304.03 million, exceeding expectations, and a year-over-year increase of 23.8% in revenue.

Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report)'s stock price dropped 3.3% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $11.71 and last traded at $11.67. Approximately 3,571,274 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 22,288,002 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.06.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on HL. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Hecla Mining from $6.00 to $6.50 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. CIBC upped their price objective on Hecla Mining from $7.50 to $8.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. HC Wainwright raised their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $11.50 to $12.50 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $8.75 price target on shares of Hecla Mining and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Hecla Mining presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $7.75.

Hecla Mining Stock Down 1.4%

The business's fifty day moving average price is $8.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $6.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 74.33 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.03. Hecla Mining had a net margin of 9.55% and a return on equity of 5.51%. The company had revenue of $304.03 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $248.93 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.02 EPS. Hecla Mining's quarterly revenue was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Hecla Mining Company will post 0.21 EPS for the current year.

Hecla Mining Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 22nd were issued a $0.0038 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 22nd. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. Hecla Mining's dividend payout ratio is 6.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Stuart Maurice Absolom sold 14,472 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.29, for a total value of $163,388.88. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 73,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $826,428. This represents a 16.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HL. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Hecla Mining by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 25,370 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $125,000 after purchasing an additional 2,457 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 13.0% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 18,883 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 2,169 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 614.5% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 35,818 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,990,000 after buying an additional 30,805 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Hecla Mining by 160.7% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 111,856 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 68,943 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC grew its position in Hecla Mining by 131.7% in the first quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 13,208 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 7,508 shares during the last quarter. 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.

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