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 superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, valuation, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, institutional ownership and profitability.

Does the media prefer HL or AG?

In the previous week, First Majestic Silver had 13 more articles in the media than Hecla Mining. MarketBeat recorded 19 mentions for First Majestic Silver and 6 mentions for Hecla Mining. Hecla Mining's average media sentiment score of 1.24 beat First Majestic Silver's score of 0.70 indicating that Hecla Mining is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Hecla Mining	5 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
First Majestic Silver	7 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts prefer HL or AG?

Hecla Mining presently has a consensus price target of $6.92, indicating a potential upside of 9.44%. First Majestic Silver has a consensus price target of $9.63, indicating a potential upside of 3.83%. Given Hecla Mining's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Hecla Mining is more favorable than First Majestic Silver.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Hecla Mining	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.33
First Majestic Silver	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.20

Is HL or AG more profitable?

Hecla Mining has a net margin of 7.13% compared to First Majestic Silver's net margin of -12.32%. Hecla Mining's return on equity of 3.87% beat First Majestic Silver's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Hecla Mining	7.13%	3.87%	2.64%
First Majestic Silver	-12.32%	-0.14%	-0.10%

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 0.2%. First Majestic Silver pays an annual dividend of $0.02 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.2%. Hecla Mining pays out 9.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Majestic Silver pays out -6.9% 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 volatility and risk, HL or AG?

Hecla Mining has a beta of 1.47, meaning that its share price is 47% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Majestic Silver has a beta of 0.82, meaning that its share price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500.

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	4.30	$35.80M	$0.11	57.45
First Majestic Silver	$560.60M	8.01	-$101.89M	-$0.29	-31.97

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in HL or AG?

63.0% of Hecla Mining shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 27.2% of First Majestic Silver shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.6% of Hecla Mining shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of First Majestic Silver shares are owned 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.

Summary

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