Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $4.71, but opened at $4.91. Hecla Mining shares last traded at $4.96, with a volume of 3,333,439 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $11.50 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Friday, February 14th. National Bank Financial raised shares of Hecla Mining to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Roth Mkm dropped their target price 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. StockNews.com raised Hecla Mining from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 17th. Finally, TD Securities lowered Hecla Mining from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $6.50 to $5.50 in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Five research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $7.75.

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Hecla Mining Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $3.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 117.22 and a beta of 1.77. The firm's 50-day moving average is $5.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 3.10%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Hecla Mining Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.0038 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.26%. Hecla Mining's payout ratio is currently 20.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of Hecla Mining

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Hecla Mining by 771.8% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,013 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 4,438 shares during the last quarter. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 30.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,351 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 1,961 shares during the period. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 63.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hecla Mining

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.