Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Raised to Hold at StockNews.com

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Monday.

HL has been the topic of several other reports. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $11.50 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Friday, February 14th. National Bank Financial lowered shares of Hecla Mining from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, TD Securities decreased their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $8.50 to $8.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hecla Mining has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $8.00.

Hecla Mining Stock Performance

Hecla Mining stock traded down $0.41 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $5.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 28,148,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,887,594. Hecla Mining has a 1-year low of $3.40 and a 1-year 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $5.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5.86. The company has a market cap of $3.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 104.52 and a beta of 1.91.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL - Get Free Report) last released 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). Hecla Mining had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 3.10%. The firm had revenue of $249.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $229.21 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Robert Krcmarov bought 6,570 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were bought at an average price of $5.29 per share, for a total transaction of $34,755.30. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HL. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 4,438 shares during the last quarter. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Hecla Mining in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Hecla Mining by 30.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,351 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,961 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.01% of the company's stock.

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.