Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Trading Down 4.4% – Should You Sell?

Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) shares fell 4.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $20.10 and last traded at $20.80. 21,874,157 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 18% from the average session volume of 26,776,445 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.76.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $26.50 price objective on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Hecla Mining from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $15.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Hecla Mining from $16.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.63.

Hecla Mining Stock Down 1.6%

The firm’s fifty day moving average is $23.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.93. The firm has a market cap of $13.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.76 and a beta of 1.22. 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a $0.0038 dividend. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio is currently 2.04%.

Insider Activity at Hecla Mining

In related news, 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 transaction, the vice president owned 216,641 shares in the company, valued at $4,746,604.31. This trade represents a 19.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP David C. Sienko sold 207,553 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.42, for a total value of $4,030,679.26. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 906,370 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,601,705.40. The trade was a 18.63% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hecla Mining

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Veracity Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Veracity Capital LLC now owns 11,005 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $211,000 after buying an additional 419 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its stake in Hecla Mining by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 31,853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $611,000 after buying an additional 434 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Hecla Mining by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,786 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $111,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Hecla Mining by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its position in Hecla Mining by 74.3% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,480 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 631 shares in the last quarter. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hecla Mining Company Profile

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.