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

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Friday morning.

HL has been the topic of several other research reports. Roth Mkm lowered their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $6.25 to $6.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. HC Wainwright restated a buy rating and set a $10.25 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $7.56.

Hecla Mining Stock Down 5.4 %

HL opened at $6.80 on Friday. Hecla Mining has a 1-year low of $3.33 and a 1-year high of $7.40. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $5.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $5.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market capitalization of $4.28 billion, a PE ratio of -45.30 and a beta of 2.00.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.01 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $245.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $208.80 million. Hecla Mining had a negative return on equity of 0.42% and a negative net margin of 5.56%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.03 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hecla Mining will post 0.05 EPS for the current year.

Hecla Mining Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a dividend of $0.0138 per share. This represents a $0.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This is an increase from Hecla Mining’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.00. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio is -33.33%.

Insider Transactions at Hecla Mining

In related news, VP Kurt Allen sold 108,612 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.77, for a total value of $735,303.24. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 173,700 shares in the company, valued at $1,175,949. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hecla Mining

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SPC Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the 2nd quarter worth about $67,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Hecla Mining by 4.9% during the second quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,212,146 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,879,000 after acquiring an additional 56,203 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its position in Hecla Mining by 254.8% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 104,317 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $506,000 after purchasing an additional 74,915 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $290,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 338,040 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,639,000 after purchasing an additional 2,939 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.