Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Rating Increased to Hold at National Bank Financial

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) was upgraded by National Bank Financial to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Roth Mkm lowered their target price on Hecla Mining from $6.60 to $6.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hecla Mining from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 17th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $5.50 target price (down from $7.50) on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Monday, May 5th. TD Securities lowered their target price on Hecla Mining from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $11.50 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $7.13.

Hecla Mining Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:HL opened at $6.02 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $5.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $5.46. The company has a market capitalization of $3.80 billion, a PE ratio of 120.32 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Hecla Mining has a 52-week low of $4.41 and a 52-week high of $7.68.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $261.34 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $238.50 million. Hecla Mining had a return on equity of 3.10% and a net margin of 3.85%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 37.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.01) EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Catherine J. Boggs acquired 20,000 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $4.99 per share, with a total value of $99,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 348,169 shares in the company, valued at $1,737,363.31. This trade represents a 6.09% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Stuart Maurice Absolom sold 18,926 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.66, for a total value of $126,047.16. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 59,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $395,670.60. This represents a 24.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hecla Mining

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Hecla Mining during the first quarter worth $188,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in Hecla Mining by 24.1% during 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. Aristeia Capital L.L.C. purchased a new position in Hecla Mining during the first quarter worth $333,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Hecla Mining by 20.9% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,285,345 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $23,827,000 after buying an additional 739,360 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Hecla Mining by 12.7% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 12,124,216 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $67,411,000 after buying an additional 1,366,700 shares in the last quarter. 63.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hecla Mining Company Profile

Hecla Mining Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides precious and base metal properties in the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, and China. The company mines for silver, gold, lead, and zinc concentrates, as well as carbon material containing silver and gold for custom smelters, metal traders, and third-party processors; and doré containing silver and gold.