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

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three 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 target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $7.94.

Several research firms have commented on HL. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $10.25 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. StockNews.com cut shares of Hecla Mining from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. National Bank Financial lowered shares of Hecla Mining from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Roth Mkm decreased 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. Finally, TD Securities dropped their target price on Hecla Mining from $8.50 to $8.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

NYSE:HL traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $5.41. The company had a trading volume of 9,524,825 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,318,699. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $6.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.89. Hecla Mining has a 52-week low of $3.33 and a 52-week high of $7.68. 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 market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a PE ratio of -136.50 and a beta of 2.00.

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

Hecla Mining Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.0138 per share. This represents a $0.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Hecla Mining's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -125.00%.

Insider Transactions at Hecla Mining

In related news, VP Kurt Allen sold 108,612 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now owns 173,700 shares in the company, valued at $1,175,949. The trade was a 38.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 2nd quarter valued at $19,714,000. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in Hecla Mining by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 54,680,051 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $391,510,000 after purchasing an additional 2,238,559 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new position in shares of Hecla Mining during the 3rd quarter valued at about $14,623,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Hecla Mining by 51.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,435,909 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $36,258,000 after purchasing an additional 1,842,991 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in Hecla Mining in the 2nd quarter worth $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.