Brokerages Set Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) PT at $7.45

Shares of Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $7.56.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Roth Mkm decreased their price objective on shares of Hecla Mining from $6.25 to $6.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $10.25 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Thursday, August 8th.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

NYSE HL opened at $7.08 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $5.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $5.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.43 billion, a P/E ratio of -47.17 and a beta of 2.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Hecla Mining has a 12-month low of $3.33 and a 12-month high of $7.14.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.01 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $245.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $208.80 million. Hecla Mining had a negative return on equity of 0.42% and a negative net margin of 5.56%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.03 EPS. Analysts forecast that Hecla Mining will post 0.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a $0.0138 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. This is a positive change from Hecla Mining’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.00. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio is presently -33.33%.

Insider Activity at Hecla Mining

In other Hecla Mining news, VP Kurt Allen sold 108,612 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.77, for a total transaction of $735,303.24. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 173,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,175,949. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hecla Mining

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 313.6% in the 2nd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 6,551 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 4,967 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the second quarter worth about $41,000. Ballentine Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the 2nd quarter worth about $54,000. Oak Family Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the 2nd quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 27.7% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,447 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 2,916 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

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.