Insider Selling: Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) VP Sells 18,926 Shares of Stock

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) VP Stuart Maurice Absolom sold 18,926 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.66, for a total transaction of $126,047.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 59,410 shares of the company's stock, valued at $395,670.60. This represents a 24.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Hecla Mining Stock Performance

NYSE HL traded down $0.17 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $6.28. The stock had a trading volume of 31,525,907 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,790,793. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $5.36 and a 200 day moving average of $5.44. The stock has a market cap of $3.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 125.63 and a beta of 1.44. Hecla Mining has a 52-week low of $4.41 and a 52-week high of $7.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.04 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 company had revenue of $261.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $238.50 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.01) EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 37.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Hecla Mining Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.0038 per share. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Hecla Mining's payout ratio is 9.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. National Bank Financial upgraded Hecla Mining to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hecla Mining from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 17th. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $11.50 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Friday, February 14th. TD Securities dropped their price target on Hecla Mining from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Roth Mkm dropped their price target 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $7.13.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HL. 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 valued at $77,999,000 after purchasing an additional 7,960,826 shares during the last quarter. Pale Fire Capital SE purchased a new position in shares of Hecla Mining during the 1st quarter worth $41,360,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter worth $18,441,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hecla Mining during the 1st quarter worth $18,410,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 182.4% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 5,006,115 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $24,580,000 after purchasing an additional 3,233,116 shares during the period. 63.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.