Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

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

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

Hecla Mining Stock Up 7.1 %

Shares of HL stock opened at $5.26 on Friday. Hecla Mining has a 52-week low of $3.33 and a 52-week high of $7.68. The stock has a market cap of $3.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -131.50 and a beta of 1.92. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $5.63 and its 200-day moving average is $5.83. 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 firm had revenue of $245.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $232.03 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.01) earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Hecla Mining will post 0.06 EPS for the current year.

Hecla Mining Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.0138 per share. This represents a $0.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio is -125.00%.

Institutional Trading of Hecla Mining

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hollencrest Capital Management raised its stake in Hecla Mining by 1.0% in 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. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in Hecla Mining by 19.2% in the 3rd 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 period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 338,040 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,639,000 after acquiring an additional 2,939 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 28.6% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 13,229 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $88,000 after acquiring an additional 2,944 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,714 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $111,000 after acquiring an additional 2,982 shares in the last quarter. 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.