Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $7.94.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on HL shares. National Bank Financial lowered shares of Hecla Mining from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. TD Securities reduced their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $8.50 to $8.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Hecla Mining from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th.

Institutional Trading of Hecla Mining

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Hecla Mining by 771.8% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,013 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 4,438 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 3rd quarter valued at $49,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hecla Mining Stock Performance

Hecla Mining stock traded up $0.21 on Tuesday, hitting $5.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 23,811,574 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,306,557. The firm has a market cap of $3.51 billion, a P/E ratio of -139.63 and a beta of 1.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $5.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $5.86. Hecla Mining has a one year low of $3.33 and a one year high of $7.68.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.02 by $0.01. Hecla Mining had a negative net margin of 2.27% and a positive return on equity of 0.75%. The business had revenue of $245.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $232.03 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.01) EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 34.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Hecla Mining will post 0.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Hecla Mining Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.0138 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $0.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. Hecla Mining's payout ratio is presently -125.00%.

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.