Hecla Mining Company $HL Stake Lowered by Oppenheimer & Close LLC

Oppenheimer & Close LLC cut its stake in shares of Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) by 32.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 653,675 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 314,920 shares during the period. Hecla Mining comprises about 5.4% of Oppenheimer & Close LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Oppenheimer & Close LLC’s holdings in Hecla Mining were worth $7,909,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Hecla Mining by 20.9% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,285,345 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $23,827,000 after purchasing an additional 739,360 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 24.1% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,959,276 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $10,894,000 after buying an additional 380,448 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 5.0% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 47,710 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 2,283 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 18.0% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 26,850 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $161,000 after acquiring an additional 4,091 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its position in Hecla Mining by 14.5% in the 2nd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 24,735 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $148,000 after acquiring an additional 3,128 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hecla Mining

In related news, VP Kurt Allen sold 52,219 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.91, for a total value of $1,144,118.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 216,641 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,746,604.31. This trade represents a 19.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP David C. Sienko sold 207,553 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.42, for a total value 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 approximately $17,601,705.40. This represents a 18.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

Shares of Hecla Mining stock opened at $23.98 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $16.07 billion, a PE ratio of 48.94 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $22.88 and a 200 day moving average of $15.91. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. Hecla Mining Company has a 12 month low of $4.46 and a 12 month high of $34.17.

Hecla Mining Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on HL. Zacks Research cut Hecla Mining from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. HC Wainwright upped their target price on shares of Hecla Mining from $16.50 to $36.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Roth Mkm set a $13.00 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce upped their price target on Hecla Mining from $27.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hecla Mining currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.63.

Hecla Mining 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.