Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 15,720,000 shares, a drop of 6.3% from the December 15th total of 16,780,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 11,890,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.3 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HL has been the topic of several research reports. National Bank Financial cut shares of Hecla Mining from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. TD Securities decreased their target price 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 lowered Hecla Mining from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $7.94.

Hecla Mining Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of HL stock traded up $0.04 on Friday, hitting $5.39. The stock had a trading volume of 15,526,540 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,740,050. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 1.09. Hecla Mining has a one year low of $3.33 and a one year high of $7.68. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $5.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.85.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $245.09 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $232.03 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.01) earnings per share. Hecla Mining's revenue for the quarter was up 34.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Hecla Mining will post 0.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.0138 per share. This represents a $0.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. Hecla Mining's dividend payout ratio is currently -125.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hecla Mining

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Hecla Mining by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,718,551 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $44,813,000 after acquiring an additional 456,107 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 51.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,435,909 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $36,258,000 after purchasing an additional 1,842,991 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the third quarter worth about $1,210,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Hecla Mining by 5.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,865,241 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $92,499,000 after buying an additional 711,676 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 340,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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