Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Trading 5.1% Higher – Should You Buy?

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) shares shot up 5.1% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $5.80 and last traded at $5.86. 10,630,040 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 8% from the average session volume of 11,541,591 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.57.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on HL. StockNews.com raised shares of Hecla Mining from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 17th. Roth Mkm lowered their target price on Hecla Mining from $6.60 to $6.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. TD Securities lowered Hecla Mining from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $6.50 to $5.50 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $11.50 price objective on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Five 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $7.75.

Hecla Mining Stock Down 0.4 %

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 stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $5.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $5.84. The firm has a market cap of $3.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 114.92 and a beta of 1.94.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.05 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $249.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $229.21 million. Hecla Mining had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 3.10%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Cuts Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.0038 per share. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Robert Krcmarov acquired 6,570 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $5.29 per share, for a total transaction of $34,755.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 331,856 shares in the company, valued at $1,755,518.24. The trade was a 2.02 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Russell Douglas Lawlar sold 16,333 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.18, for a total value of $84,604.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 297,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,543,551.94. This 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 valued at $300,000 over the last ninety days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co bought a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter worth about $1,451,000. Comprehensive Money Management Services LLC acquired a new position in Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter valued at about $227,000. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. bought a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter worth approximately $144,000. Forum Financial Management LP raised its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 148.8% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 24,940 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 14,915 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Allianz Polska S.A. bought a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $404,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.