Michael L. Clary Sells 32,387 Shares of Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Stock

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) CAO Michael L. Clary sold 32,387 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.18, for a total transaction of $167,764.66. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 246,440 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,276,559.20. This trade represents a 11.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Hecla Mining Stock Performance

HL traded up $0.07 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $5.14. 22,063,220 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,922,162. The company's 50-day moving average is $5.42 and its 200 day moving average is $5.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a PE ratio of 102.72 and a beta of 1.91. Hecla Mining has a 52 week low of $3.51 and a 52 week high of $7.68.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.05 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $249.66 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $229.21 million. Hecla Mining had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 3.10%. On average, research analysts expect that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 EPS for the current year.

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Hecla Mining Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.0038 per share. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Hecla Mining's payout ratio is currently 20.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on HL shares. StockNews.com upgraded Hecla Mining from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 17th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $11.50 price objective on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Friday, February 14th. National Bank Financial cut shares of Hecla Mining from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Roth Mkm decreased their target price on shares of Hecla Mining from $6.60 to $6.50 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, TD Securities decreased their target price on shares of Hecla Mining from $7.00 to $6.50 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $8.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hecla Mining

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 771.8% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,013 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $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 worth $25,000. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 30.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,351 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,961 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.01% of the company's stock.

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.