Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on HL. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Roth Capital set a $8.75 price objective on shares of Hecla Mining and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. CIBC upped their target price on shares of Hecla Mining from $15.00 to $16.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hecla Mining from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 2nd. Finally, Scotiabank initiated coverage on Hecla Mining in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $15.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.22.

Hecla Mining Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HL traded up $0.09 during trading on Monday, hitting $24.40. 8,898,940 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 21,059,678. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The business’s fifty day moving average is $17.67 and its 200-day moving average is $12.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.85 and a beta of 1.28. Hecla Mining has a one year low of $4.46 and a one year high of $25.48.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $409.54 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.60 million. Hecla Mining had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 16.35%.The business’s revenue was up 67.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.03 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hecla Mining

In other Hecla Mining news, CFO Russell Douglas Lawlar sold 148,372 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $2,225,580.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 347,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,211,030. The trade was a 29.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $1,144,118.29. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 216,641 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,746,604.31. The trade was a 19.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 426,679 shares of company stock valued at $7,678,773. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hecla Mining

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in Hecla Mining by 102,278.8% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 53,237 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,022,000 after purchasing an additional 53,185 shares in the last quarter. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. boosted its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 95.8% during the 4th quarter. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. now owns 45,044 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $864,000 after buying an additional 22,044 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 151.0% during the 4th quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 12,870 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $247,000 after buying an additional 7,742 shares during the period. World Equity Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter valued at $644,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 2,648.5% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 565,059 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $10,843,000 after acquiring an additional 544,500 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.