Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $8.25.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Hecla Mining from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. National Bank Financial downgraded Hecla Mining from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $11.50 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Securities reduced their price objective on shares of Hecla Mining from $8.50 to $8.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 771.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,013 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 4,438 shares in the last quarter. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Hecla Mining during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 30.7% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,351 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,961 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 63.01% of the company's stock.

Hecla Mining Stock Up 2.3 %

HL stock traded up $0.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $5.57. The company had a trading volume of 6,774,745 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,744,844. The company has a market capitalization of $3.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -139.63 and a beta of 1.91. Hecla Mining has a 52 week low of $3.40 and a 52 week high of $7.68. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $5.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.05 by ($0.01). Hecla Mining had a negative net margin of 2.27% and a positive return on equity of 0.75%. The firm had revenue of $249.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $229.21 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Hecla Mining will post 0.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.0038 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. Hecla Mining's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -125.00%.

Hecla Mining Company Profile

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.