Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Shares Up 5.2% – Should You Buy?

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

HL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. HC Wainwright lifted their price objective on shares of Hecla Mining from $16.50 to $36.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $26.50 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce increased their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $27.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Hecla Mining from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, November 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.63.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $16.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.04 and a beta of 1.25. The company’s 50 day moving average is $23.15 and its 200 day moving average is $16.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 2.22.

Hecla Mining Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP David C. Sienko sold 207,553 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 906,370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,601,705.40. The trade was a 18.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Kurt Allen sold 52,219 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.91, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 19.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hecla Mining

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 631 shares during the last quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC raised its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 93.5% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 1,616 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 781 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.