Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $8.38.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. National Bank Financial lowered Hecla Mining from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $11.50 price objective on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised Hecla Mining from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. TD Securities dropped their price objective on Hecla Mining from $8.50 to $8.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Roth Mkm dropped their price objective on Hecla Mining from $6.60 to $6.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday.

Hecla Mining Stock Performance

NYSE:HL opened at $5.38 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a PE ratio of 107.52 and a beta of 1.91. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $5.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $5.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.55. Hecla Mining has a 12 month low of $3.40 and a 12 month high of $7.68.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last posted 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $229.21 million. Hecla Mining had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 3.10%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hecla Mining will post 0.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.28%. Hecla Mining’s payout ratio is 100.02%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 30.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,351 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 1,961 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 173,616 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $852,000 after buying an additional 2,297 shares during the period. Hollencrest Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 248,727 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,659,000 after buying an additional 2,367 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 25,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $125,000 after buying an additional 2,457 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 19.2% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 18,075 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $121,000 after acquiring an additional 2,909 shares in the last quarter. 63.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hecla Mining Company Profile

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.