Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Trading Up 6.7% – Should You Buy?

Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) rose 6.7% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $23.21 and last traded at $22.74. Approximately 18,983,052 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 36% from the average daily volume of 29,686,590 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.31.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HL has been the subject of several research reports. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on Hecla Mining from $16.50 to $36.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Hecla Mining from $15.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $26.50 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $16.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce lifted their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $27.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.00.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 73.35 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $21.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.57.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.01. Hecla Mining had a net margin of 16.35% and a return on equity of 7.87%. The business had revenue of $409.54 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.60 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.03 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 67.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Hecla Mining Company will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hecla Mining

In other Hecla Mining news, CFO Russell Douglas Lawlar sold 148,372 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $2,225,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 347,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,211,030. This represents a 29.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Kurt Allen sold 52,219 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.91, for a total transaction of $1,144,118.29. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 216,641 shares in the company, valued at $4,746,604.31. The trade was a 19.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 426,679 shares of company stock valued at $7,678,773 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hecla Mining

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HL. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Hecla Mining during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in Hecla Mining by 2,390.0% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 2,390 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Hecla Mining by 255.6% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,156 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 4,425 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

About Hecla Mining

Hecla Mining Company, founded in 1891 and headquartered in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, is one of the oldest publicly traded precious metals companies in the United States. Originally established to develop the rich silver deposits of the Coeur d’Alene district, Hecla has evolved into a diversified mining enterprise focused on the exploration, development and production of silver and gold, with by-product credits from lead and zinc.

The company’s principal operations are located in North America and Latin America.