Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Stock Price Down 1.4% – Should You Sell?

Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL)’s stock price traded down 1.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $21.77 and last traded at $23.12. 25,678,446 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 16% from the average session volume of 30,495,973 shares. The stock had previously closed at $23.44.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $26.50 price objective on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $15.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Roth Mkm reissued a “sell” rating and set a $16.00 price objective on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Hecla Mining from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.00.

Hecla Mining Stock Down 1.4%

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $21.46 and its 200-day moving average is $14.47. The firm has a market cap of $15.49 billion, a PE ratio of 74.58 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.01. Hecla Mining had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 16.35%.The company had revenue of $409.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.60 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.03 EPS. Hecla Mining’s revenue was up 67.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Hecla Mining Company will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Hecla Mining news, VP Kurt Allen sold 52,219 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.91, for a total value of $1,144,118.29. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 216,641 shares in the company, valued at $4,746,604.31. The trade was a 19.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP David C. Sienko sold 207,553 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.42, for a total transaction of $4,030,679.26. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 906,370 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,601,705.40. The trade was a 18.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 426,679 shares of company stock valued at $7,678,773 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hecla Mining

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 2,390.0% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 2,390 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Hecla Mining by 255.6% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,156 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 4,425 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

About Hecla Mining

Hecla Mining Company, founded in 1891 and headquartered in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, is one of the oldest publicly traded precious metals companies in the United States. Originally established to develop the rich silver deposits of the Coeur d’Alene district, Hecla has evolved into a diversified mining enterprise focused on the exploration, development and production of silver and gold, with by-product credits from lead and zinc.

The company’s principal operations are located in North America and Latin America.