Hecla Mining (HL) Competitors

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) and First Majestic Silver (NYSE:AG) are both mid-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, profitability and earnings.

Is HL or AG more profitable?

Hecla Mining has a net margin of 9.55% compared to First Majestic Silver's net margin of 1.78%. Hecla Mining's return on equity of 5.51% beat First Majestic Silver's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Hecla Mining	9.55%	5.51%	3.80%
First Majestic Silver	1.78%	1.72%	1.20%

Is HL or AG a better dividend stock?

Hecla Mining pays an annual dividend of $0.01 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.1%. First Majestic Silver pays an annual dividend of $0.02 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.2%. Hecla Mining pays out 6.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Majestic Silver pays out -200.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. First Majestic Silver is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Which has more risk & volatility, HL or AG?

Hecla Mining has a beta of 1.31, meaning that its stock price is 31% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Majestic Silver has a beta of 0.76, meaning that its stock price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in HL or AG?

63.0% of Hecla Mining shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 27.2% of First Majestic Silver shares are held by institutional investors. 1.4% of Hecla Mining shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of First Majestic Silver shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Which has stronger earnings & valuation, HL or AG?

Hecla Mining has higher revenue and earnings than First Majestic Silver. First Majestic Silver is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Hecla Mining, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Hecla Mining	$929.92M	9.05	$35.80M	$0.16	78.53
First Majestic Silver	$560.60M	11.58	-$101.89M	-$0.01	-1,324.50

Does the media refer more to HL or AG?

In the previous week, First Majestic Silver had 4 more articles in the media than Hecla Mining. MarketBeat recorded 25 mentions for First Majestic Silver and 21 mentions for Hecla Mining. First Majestic Silver's average media sentiment score of 0.68 beat Hecla Mining's score of 0.64 indicating that First Majestic Silver is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Hecla Mining	8 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	7 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
First Majestic Silver	7 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	7 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts rate HL or AG?

Hecla Mining presently has a consensus target price of $8.75, indicating a potential downside of 30.36%. First Majestic Silver has a consensus target price of $15.33, indicating a potential upside of 15.77%. Given First Majestic Silver's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe First Majestic Silver is more favorable than Hecla Mining.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Hecla Mining	1 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.13
First Majestic Silver	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.71

Summary

Hecla Mining beats First Majestic Silver on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.