Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Receives $7.56 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the six brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities 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 target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $7.56.

HL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $10.25 price objective on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Thursday, August 8th. StockNews.com cut Hecla Mining from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Roth Mkm lowered their price objective on Hecla Mining from $6.25 to $6.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HL traded down $0.18 during trading on Thursday, reaching $6.02. 21,354,197 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,023,732. Hecla Mining has a fifty-two week low of $3.33 and a fifty-two week high of $7.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market cap of $3.79 billion, a PE ratio of -77.50 and a beta of 2.00. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.83.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.02 by $0.01. Hecla Mining had a negative return on equity of 0.42% and a negative net margin of 5.56%. The firm had revenue of $245.09 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $232.03 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.01) EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 34.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Hecla Mining will post 0.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Hecla Mining Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a $0.0138 dividend. This represents a $0.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Hecla Mining's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -62.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hecla Mining news, VP Kurt Allen sold 108,612 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.77, for a total value of $735,303.24. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 173,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,175,949. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Hecla Mining

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,420,114 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $285,811,000 after buying an additional 1,506,573 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Hecla Mining in the first quarter valued at approximately $727,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Hecla Mining by 148.9% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 39,208 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $189,000 after purchasing an additional 23,457 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its position in Hecla Mining by 26.5% in the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 1,624,677 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $7,880,000 after purchasing an additional 340,000 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in Hecla Mining in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,280,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.01% of the company's stock.

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.