Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Earns "Outperform Market Weight" Rating from National Bank Financial

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "outperform market weight" rating reissued by research analysts at National Bank Financial in a report issued on Monday, Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on HL. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on Hecla Mining from $4.60 to $6.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com upgraded Hecla Mining to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $6.68.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

HL stock traded down $0.12 on Monday, reaching $5.42. 17,940,083 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,287,561. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $4.21 and a 200-day moving average of $4.29. Hecla Mining has a twelve month low of $3.33 and a twelve month high of $7.00. The firm has a market cap of $3.34 billion, a PE ratio of -36.13 and a beta of 2.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The basic materials company reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.02) by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $160.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $151.51 million. Hecla Mining had a negative return on equity of 0.27% and a negative net margin of 11.69%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.02 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Hecla Mining will post 0.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hecla Mining

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HL. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining during the third quarter worth about $31,000. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in Hecla Mining by 107.9% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,637 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 3,963 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in Hecla Mining by 104.3% during the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 9,659 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 4,932 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining during the second quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining during the second quarter worth about $45,000. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.