Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Receives $7.75 Consensus PT from Analysts

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $7.75.

HL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Roth Mkm decreased their target price on shares of Hecla Mining from $6.60 to $6.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $11.50 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Hecla Mining from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 17th. Finally, TD Securities lowered shares of Hecla Mining from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $6.50 to $5.50 in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hecla Mining news, CAO Michael L. Clary sold 32,387 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.18, for a total value of $167,764.66. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 246,440 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,276,559.20. This represents a 11.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Russell Douglas Lawlar sold 16,333 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.18, for a total transaction of $84,604.94. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 297,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,543,551.94. This trade represents a 5.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 57,915 shares of company stock worth $300,000 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hecla Mining

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,961 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 13.0% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 18,883 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 2,169 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $852,000 after buying an additional 2,297 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 25,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $125,000 after buying an additional 2,457 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 19.2% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 18,075 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $121,000 after buying an additional 2,909 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

Hecla Mining Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:HL opened at $5.90 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.72 billion, a PE ratio of 117.92 and a beta of 1.94. Hecla Mining has a 52-week low of $4.04 and a 52-week high of $7.68. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $5.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $5.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by ($0.01). Hecla Mining had a return on equity of 3.10% and a net margin of 3.85%. The business had revenue of $249.66 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $229.21 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 EPS for the current year.

Hecla Mining Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.0038 per share. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.00%.

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.