Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Short Interest Down 8.5% in November

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 18,910,000 shares, a decrease of 8.5% from the November 15th total of 20,660,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 12,200,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on HL shares. StockNews.com downgraded Hecla Mining from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. TD Securities dropped their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $8.50 to $8.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, National Bank Financial cut Hecla Mining from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $7.94.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

Shares of Hecla Mining stock traded down $0.12 during trading on Monday, reaching $5.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,410,809 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,358,337. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Hecla Mining has a 12-month low of $3.33 and a 12-month high of $7.68. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $6.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $5.87. The company has a market capitalization of $3.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -135.00 and a beta of 1.92.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $245.09 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $232.03 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.01) earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 34.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hecla Mining will post 0.06 EPS for the current year.

Hecla Mining Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st were paid a dividend of $0.0138 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $0.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. Hecla Mining's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -125.00%.

Insider Transactions at Hecla Mining

In other Hecla Mining news, VP Kurt Allen sold 108,612 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.77, for a total transaction of $735,303.24. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 173,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,175,949. The trade was a 38.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hecla Mining

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HL. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Hecla Mining during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its stake in Hecla Mining by 313.6% during the second quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 6,551 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 4,967 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the third quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC bought a new stake in Hecla Mining in the second quarter worth approximately $54,000. 63.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.