Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Shares Up 5.2% – What’s Next?

Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) traded up 5.2% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $24.61 and last traded at $24.52. 20,068,696 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 26% from the average session volume of 27,252,895 shares. The stock had previously closed at $23.31.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Hecla Mining from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce boosted their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $27.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Roth Mkm set a $13.00 price objective on Hecla Mining in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on Hecla Mining from $16.50 to $36.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hecla Mining presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.63.

Hecla Mining Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $16.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.04 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 2.22. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.26.

Hecla Mining Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.0038 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. Hecla Mining’s payout ratio is presently 2.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP David C. Sienko sold 207,553 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.42, for a total value of $4,030,679.26. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 906,370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,601,705.40. The trade was a 18.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Kurt Allen sold 52,219 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 216,641 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,746,604.31. The trade was a 19.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Veracity Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Veracity Capital LLC now owns 11,005 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $211,000 after buying an additional 419 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its stake in Hecla Mining by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 31,853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $611,000 after acquiring an additional 434 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Hecla Mining by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,786 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $111,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in Hecla Mining by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in Hecla Mining by 74.3% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,480 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 631 shares during the period. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hecla Mining Company Profile

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.