295,500 Shares in Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Purchased by PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co

PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co purchased a new stake in Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 295,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,451,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,220,645 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,453,000 after purchasing an additional 502,094 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,640,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 20.3% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,189,473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $20,570,000 after acquiring an additional 707,712 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Hecla Mining by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 61,393,040 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $301,440,000 after acquiring an additional 774,000 shares during the period. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in Hecla Mining by 202.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 76,151 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $374,000 after purchasing an additional 50,969 shares in the last quarter. 63.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. National Bank Financial upgraded shares of Hecla Mining to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $11.50 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Roth Mkm lowered their price objective on Hecla Mining from $6.60 to $6.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $5.50 price objective (down from $7.50) on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Hecla Mining from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $7.13.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HL opened at $5.21 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $5.36 and a 200-day moving average of $5.43. Hecla Mining has a 12 month low of $4.41 and a 12 month high of $7.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a PE ratio of 104.22 and a beta of 1.57.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.05 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $261.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $238.50 million. Hecla Mining had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 3.10%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 37.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.01) earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.0038 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.29%. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.09%.

Insider Activity at Hecla Mining

In related news, Director Catherine J. Boggs bought 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $4.99 per share, with a total value of $99,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 348,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,737,363.31. The trade was a 6.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.