Hecla Mining (HL) Competitors

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

Does the media refer more to AG or HL?

In the previous week, Hecla Mining had 24 more articles in the media than First Majestic Silver. MarketBeat recorded 30 mentions for Hecla Mining and 6 mentions for First Majestic Silver. First Majestic Silver's average media sentiment score of 1.03 beat Hecla Mining's score of 0.81 indicating that First Majestic Silver is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
First Majestic Silver	4 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Hecla Mining	10 Very Positive mention(s)	7 Positive mention(s)	7 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more volatility and risk, AG or HL?

First Majestic Silver has a beta of 0.72, suggesting that its stock price is 28% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Hecla Mining has a beta of 1.27, suggesting that its stock price is 27% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts prefer AG or HL?

First Majestic Silver currently has a consensus price target of $9.63, indicating a potential upside of 11.92%. Hecla Mining has a consensus price target of $7.36, indicating a potential downside of 3.07%. Given First Majestic Silver's higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe First Majestic Silver is more favorable than Hecla Mining.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Majestic Silver	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.20
Hecla Mining	0 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.29

Which has preferable earnings & valuation, AG or HL?

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
First Majestic Silver	$703.06M	5.96	-$101.89M	-$0.29	-29.66
Hecla Mining	$929.92M	5.16	$35.80M	$0.16	47.44

Is AG or HL a better dividend stock?

First Majestic Silver pays an annual dividend of $0.01 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.1%. Hecla Mining pays an annual dividend of $0.01 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.1%. First Majestic Silver pays out -3.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Hecla Mining pays out 6.3% 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.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in AG or HL?

27.2% of First Majestic Silver shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 63.0% of Hecla Mining shares are held by institutional investors. 0.9% of First Majestic Silver shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of Hecla Mining shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Is AG or HL more profitable?

Hecla Mining has a net margin of 9.55% compared to First Majestic Silver's net margin of -12.32%. Hecla Mining's return on equity of 5.69% beat First Majestic Silver's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Majestic Silver	-12.32%	-0.14%	-0.10%
Hecla Mining	9.55%	5.69%	3.90%

Summary

Hecla Mining beats First Majestic Silver on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.