Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Given "Market Perform" Rating at BMO Capital Markets

BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed their market perform rating on shares of Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Free Report) in a report issued on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a $5.50 price target on the basic materials company's stock, down from their previous price target of $7.50.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Roth Mkm reduced their target price on Hecla Mining from $6.60 to $6.50 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $11.50 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Friday, February 14th. National Bank Financial upgraded Hecla Mining to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Hecla Mining from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 17th. Finally, TD Securities cut shares of Hecla Mining from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $6.50 to $5.50 in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $7.20.

Hecla Mining Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE:HL traded down $0.05 on Monday, reaching $4.89. 21,651,434 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 13,905,294. Hecla Mining has a 1-year low of $4.41 and a 1-year high of $7.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company's 50 day moving average is $5.52 and its 200-day moving average is $5.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 97.72 and a beta of 1.57.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $261.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $238.50 million. Hecla Mining had a return on equity of 3.10% and a net margin of 3.85%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 37.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.01) EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.0038 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.31%. Hecla Mining's payout ratio is currently 9.09%.

Insider Activity at Hecla Mining

In other Hecla Mining news, CEO Robert Krcmarov bought 6,570 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $5.29 per share, for a total transaction of $34,755.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 331,856 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,755,518.24. This represents a 2.02 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Michael L. Clary sold 32,387 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.18, for a total value of $167,764.66. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 246,440 shares in the company, valued at $1,276,559.20. This represents a 11.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 57,915 shares of company stock valued at $300,000 over the last three months. 0.62% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hecla Mining

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new position in Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Hecla Mining by 771.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,013 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 4,438 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Hecla Mining in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,961 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.