Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Trading Up 5.2% – Still a Buy?

Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL)’s share price traded up 5.2% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $24.06 and last traded at $23.98. 33,266,686 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 18% from the average session volume of 28,078,551 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.79.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. HC Wainwright lifted their price target 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 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Hecla Mining from $16.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce boosted their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $27.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Hecla Mining from $15.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.63.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $16.07 billion, a PE ratio of 48.94 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 1.51. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.72.

Hecla Mining Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other Hecla Mining news, VP Kurt Allen sold 52,219 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the vice president owned 216,641 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,746,604.31. This represents a 19.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP David C. Sienko sold 207,553 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.42, for a total transaction of $4,030,679.26. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 906,370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,601,705.40. This represents a 18.63% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Hecla Mining by 102.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,327,712 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $83,049,000 after acquiring an additional 2,186,601 shares in the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,905 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $209,000 after acquiring an additional 905 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 21,120 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $405,000 after purchasing an additional 2,075 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments bought a new position in Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter worth about $1,279,000. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury boosted its stake in Hecla Mining by 349.9% in the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 305,944 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,871,000 after purchasing an additional 237,944 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

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.