Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 23,960,000 shares, an increase of 49.3% from the February 13th total of 16,050,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 16,410,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days. Approximately 3.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hecla Mining

In related news, CEO Robert Krcmarov acquired 6,570 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $5.29 per share, for a total transaction of $34,755.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 331,856 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,755,518.24. The trade was a 2.02 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Michael L. Clary sold 32,387 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.18, for a total value of $167,764.66. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 246,440 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,276,559.20. The trade was a 11.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 57,915 shares of company stock valued at $300,000. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

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Institutional Trading of Hecla Mining

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 13.0% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 18,883 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $93,000 after buying an additional 2,169 shares during the period. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter valued at $1,451,000. Comprehensive Money Management Services LLC purchased a new position in Hecla Mining in the fourth quarter valued at about $227,000. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. acquired a new position in Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter worth about $144,000. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP raised its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 148.8% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 24,940 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 14,915 shares in the last quarter. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hecla Mining Trading Down 0.8 %

Hecla Mining stock traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $5.84. The stock had a trading volume of 18,089,380 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,835,176. Hecla Mining has a twelve month low of $4.04 and a twelve month high of $7.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $3.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 116.72 and a beta of 1.94. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $5.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $5.83.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.05 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $249.66 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $229.21 million. Hecla Mining had a return on equity of 3.10% and a net margin of 3.85%. Equities analysts anticipate that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.0038 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. Hecla Mining's dividend payout ratio is 20.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HL has been the topic of several research reports. TD Securities cut shares of Hecla Mining from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $6.50 to $5.50 in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $11.50 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hecla Mining from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 17th. Finally, Roth Mkm dropped their price target on Hecla Mining from $6.60 to $6.50 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $7.75.

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.