Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.6250.

A number of research firms recently commented on HL. Zacks Research downgraded Hecla Mining from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Monday, December 29th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce lifted their target price on Hecla Mining from $27.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Scotiabank upped their price target on Hecla Mining from $15.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, HC Wainwright lifted their price objective on shares of Hecla Mining from $16.50 to $36.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th.

Insider Transactions at Hecla Mining

In related news, VP David C. Sienko sold 207,553 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.42, for a total transaction of $4,030,679.26. Following the sale, the vice president owned 906,370 shares in the company, valued at $17,601,705.40. This represents a 18.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Kurt Allen sold 52,219 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.91, for a total transaction of $1,144,118.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 216,641 shares in the company, valued at $4,746,604.31. This represents a 19.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining in the second quarter worth $25,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in shares of Hecla Mining during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in Hecla Mining by 74.3% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,480 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 631 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sittner & Nelson LLC acquired a new position in Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

Shares of HL stock opened at $21.71 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $23.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.78. The firm has a market cap of $14.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.31 and a beta of 1.22. Hecla Mining has a 1-year low of $4.46 and a 1-year high of $34.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 2.22.

Hecla Mining Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a $0.0038 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. Hecla Mining’s payout ratio is 2.04%.

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.