Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) COO Sells $26,780.60 in Stock

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) COO Rodriguez Carlos Robert Aguiar sold 5,170 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.18, for a total value of $26,780.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 137,178 shares in the company, valued at approximately $710,582.04. This represents a 3.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Hecla Mining Stock Up 1.3 %

HL opened at $5.14 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $5.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 102.72 and a beta of 1.91. Hecla Mining has a fifty-two week low of $3.51 and a fifty-two week high of $7.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last posted 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 business had revenue of $249.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $229.21 million. Hecla Mining had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 3.10%. On average, research analysts expect that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Hecla Mining Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.0038 dividend. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.29%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on HL. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hecla Mining from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 17th. TD Securities lowered their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $7.00 to $6.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st. 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 research report on Tuesday, February 18th. National Bank Financial cut Hecla Mining from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $11.50 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Friday, February 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hecla Mining presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $8.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Creative Planning increased its holdings in Hecla Mining by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 114,721 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $765,000 after acquiring an additional 10,404 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 37.6% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 15,435 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 4,215 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 21.7% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,714 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $111,000 after purchasing an additional 2,982 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the third quarter worth about $871,000. Finally, Financial Advocates Investment Management raised its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 37,919 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 3,037 shares during the last quarter. 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.