Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $23.3438.

HL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hecla Mining to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Scotiabank decreased their price target on Hecla Mining from $25.00 to $21.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Hecla Mining in a report on Thursday, August 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $22.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Hecla Mining from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Hecla Mining from $24.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday.

Hecla Mining Stock Up 5.5%

Shares of Hecla Mining stock opened at $18.98 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.73 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.86. Hecla Mining has a 12-month low of $10.38 and a 12-month high of $34.17.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $333.85 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $368.75 million. Hecla Mining had a net margin of 20.84% and a return on equity of 18.91%. Hecla Mining’s quarterly revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.09 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Hecla Mining will post 0.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Hecla Mining Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 26th were issued a $0.0038 dividend. This represents a $0.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 26th. Hecla Mining’s payout ratio is currently 2.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hecla Mining

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HL. Sittner & Nelson LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new position in Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its holdings in Hecla Mining by 93.5% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 1,616 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 781 shares in the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its position in Hecla Mining by 462.4% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 2,227 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 1,831 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

About Hecla Mining

Hecla Mining Company (NYSE: HL) is a precious and base metals mining company focused primarily on the exploration, development, and production of silver, gold, lead, and zinc. The company sells concentrates and refined metals produced from its mining operations and also maintains a portfolio of exploration and development properties.

Founded in 1891, Hecla is one of the oldest U.S.-based mining companies. Its operating portfolio has included the Greens Creek silver, gold, lead, and zinc mine near Juneau, Alaska; the Lucky Friday silver, lead, and zinc mine in Idaho; the Keno Hill silver district in Yukon, Canada; and the Casa Berardi gold mine in Quebec, Canada.

Through these operations and related exploration activities, Hecla serves the North American metals market, with production and mineral assets located in the United States and Canada.