Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Shares Gap Down to $5.93

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $5.93, but opened at $5.79. Hecla Mining shares last traded at $6.02, with a volume of 2,473,457 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Hecla Mining to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 9th. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $10.25 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Friday. CIBC increased their target price on Hecla Mining from $6.75 to $7.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Cibc World Mkts raised Hecla Mining to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, National Bank Financial reissued an “outperform market weight” rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Monday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $6.89.

Hecla Mining Stock Up 1.3 %

The company has a market cap of $3.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.57 and a beta of 2.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.67. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.72.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.03. Hecla Mining had a negative return on equity of 0.28% and a negative net margin of 12.22%. The business had revenue of $189.53 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $190.31 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Hecla Mining will post 0.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 24th were issued a $0.006 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. Hecla Mining’s payout ratio is currently -20.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Robert Denis Brown sold 24,792 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.91, for a total value of $121,728.72. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 607,649 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,983,556.59. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, VP Robert Denis Brown sold 24,792 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.91, for a total transaction of $121,728.72. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 607,649 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,983,556.59. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Michael L. Clary sold 30,634 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.91, for a total value of $150,412.94. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 351,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,728,182.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 67,105 shares of company stock worth $329,486. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HL. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 29.4% in the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,155,943 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,520,000 after buying an additional 262,705 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,567,847 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $225,090,000 after buying an additional 487,299 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $72,000. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 94,900 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $456,000 after buying an additional 4,804 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $76,000. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.