Brokerages Set Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Price Target at $8.25

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $8.00.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HL. Roth Mkm cut their price target on Hecla Mining from $6.60 to $6.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. TD Securities cut their price target on Hecla Mining from $7.00 to $6.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. StockNews.com raised Hecla Mining from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 17th. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $11.50 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, National Bank Financial downgraded Hecla Mining from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th.

Hecla Mining Trading Down 7.2 %

NYSE:HL opened at $5.23 on Friday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $5.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.86. Hecla Mining has a 52 week low of $3.40 and a 52 week high of $7.68. The company has a market cap of $3.30 billion, a PE ratio of 104.52 and a beta of 1.91.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last released 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 the consensus estimate of $229.21 million. Hecla Mining had a return on equity of 3.10% and a net margin of 3.85%. On average, analysts predict that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 EPS for the current year.

Hecla Mining Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Hecla Mining

In other news, CEO Robert Krcmarov purchased 6,570 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $5.29 per share, for a total transaction of $34,755.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 331,856 shares in the company, valued at $1,755,518.24. This trade represents a 2.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hecla Mining

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HL. 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 period. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake 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 worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,961 shares in the last quarter. 63.01% of the stock is currently 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.