Kurt Allen Sells 9,195 Shares of Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Stock

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) VP Kurt Allen sold 9,195 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.18, for a total value of $47,630.10. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 104,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $541,372.16. The trade was a 8.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

NYSE HL opened at $5.09 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $5.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 101.72 and a beta of 1.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.55. Hecla Mining has a 1-year low of $3.41 and a 1-year high of $7.68.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last announced 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 company had revenue of $249.66 million during 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, equities analysts predict that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Hecla Mining Cuts Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.0038 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.29%. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Hecla Mining from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 17th. Roth Mkm reduced their target price on Hecla Mining from $6.60 to $6.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $11.50 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Friday, February 14th. National Bank Financial downgraded Hecla Mining from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, TD Securities reduced their target price on Hecla Mining from $7.00 to $6.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $8.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hecla Mining

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Hecla Mining by 30.7% during 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. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in Hecla Mining by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 173,616 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $852,000 after purchasing an additional 2,297 shares in the last quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management lifted its position in Hecla Mining by 1.0% during the third quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 248,727 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,659,000 after purchasing an additional 2,367 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Hecla Mining by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 25,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $125,000 after purchasing an additional 2,457 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its position in Hecla Mining by 19.2% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 18,075 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $121,000 after purchasing an additional 2,909 shares in the last quarter. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.