Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Saturday.

Several other research analysts have also commented on the company. Zacks Research lowered Hecla Mining from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce lifted their target price 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. Roth Mkm set a $13.00 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $16.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, HC Wainwright raised 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.63.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HL opened at $17.18 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.81. Hecla Mining has a twelve month low of $4.46 and a twelve month high of $34.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.05 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

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 given a $0.0038 dividend. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 2.04%.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 transaction of $1,144,118.29. Following the transaction, the vice president directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hecla Mining

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 74.3% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,480 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 631 shares during the period. Sittner & Nelson LLC bought a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its position in Hecla Mining by 93.5% during the 4th 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 period. Institutional investors 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.