Marshall Wace LLP Increases Stock Holdings in Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL)

Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Free Report) by 182.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,006,115 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 3,233,116 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.80% of Hecla Mining worth $24,580,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in HL. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter worth about $18,441,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,855,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 43.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,481,761 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $23,223,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059,929 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in Hecla Mining by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,788,100 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $18,600,000 after buying an additional 885,900 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Hecla Mining by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 61,393,040 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $301,440,000 after buying an additional 774,000 shares in the last quarter. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hecla Mining Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HL traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $5.89. The company had a trading volume of 15,061,325 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,312,652. Hecla Mining has a 1 year low of $4.41 and a 1 year high of $7.68. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $5.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $5.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market cap of $3.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 117.82 and a beta of 1.77.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.05 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $249.66 million for 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%. On average, analysts forecast that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.0038 per share. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Hecla Mining's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hecla Mining

In related news, CEO Robert Krcmarov purchased 6,570 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $5.29 per share, with a total value of $34,755.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 331,856 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Michael L. Clary sold 32,387 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $167,764.66. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 246,440 shares in the company, valued at $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 ninety days, insiders sold 57,915 shares of company stock worth $300,000. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Hecla Mining from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 17th. TD Securities lowered shares of Hecla Mining from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $6.50 to $5.50 in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $11.50 price objective on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Friday, February 14th. National Bank Financial raised shares of Hecla Mining to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Roth Mkm reduced their price target on Hecla Mining from $6.60 to $6.50 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hecla Mining has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $7.75.

Hecla Mining 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.