Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $7.94.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on HL shares. National Bank Financial downgraded Hecla Mining from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com cut shares of Hecla Mining from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, TD Securities reduced their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $8.50 to $8.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

Hecla Mining Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of Hecla Mining stock opened at $5.35 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.36 billion, a PE ratio of -133.63 and a beta of 1.91. Hecla Mining has a 52-week low of $3.33 and a 52-week high of $7.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 1.09.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.02 by $0.01. Hecla Mining had a positive return on equity of 0.75% and a negative net margin of 2.27%. The business had revenue of $245.09 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $232.03 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.01) EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 34.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Hecla Mining will post 0.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.0138 per share. This represents a $0.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. Hecla Mining’s payout ratio is currently -125.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hecla Mining

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC increased 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 valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 4,438 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Hecla Mining by 30.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,351 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,961 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Hecla Mining during the third quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter valued at about $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

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.