Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Trading 4.7% Higher - Here's What Happened

Shares of Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) traded up 4.7% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $6.13 and last traded at $6.17. 3,755,122 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 15,974,832 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.89.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on HL. TD Securities lowered their price target on Hecla Mining from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $5.50 price target (down from $7.50) on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Roth Capital reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $6.00 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. National Bankshares set a $7.00 price objective on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Friday, June 13th. Finally, National Bank Financial upgraded shares of Hecla Mining to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hecla Mining currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $6.92.

Hecla Mining Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $5.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $5.54. The firm has a market cap of $3.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.69 and a beta of 1.47.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) last released 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). The business had revenue of $261.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $238.50 million. Hecla Mining had a return on equity of 3.87% and a net margin of 7.13%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 37.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.01) EPS. On average, analysts expect that Hecla Mining Company will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.0038 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.24%. Hecla Mining's dividend payout ratio is presently 9.09%.

Insider Activity at Hecla Mining

In related news, Director Catherine J. Boggs purchased 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $4.99 per share, with a total value of $99,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 348,169 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,737,363.31. This trade represents a 6.09% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Stuart Maurice Absolom sold 18,926 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.66, for a total value of $126,047.16. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 59,410 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $395,670.60. This trade represents a 24.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hecla Mining

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HL. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Hecla Mining by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,220,645 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $35,453,000 after purchasing an additional 502,094 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter worth about $1,640,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 20.3% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,189,473 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $20,570,000 after purchasing an additional 707,712 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 61,393,040 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $301,440,000 after acquiring an additional 774,000 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Hecla Mining by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,578,828 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $7,752,000 after purchasing an additional 127,756 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.