Investors Buy Large Volume of Hecla Mining Call Options (NYSE:HL)

Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors purchased 103,115 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 145% compared to the average daily volume of 42,171 call options.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

Hecla Mining stock opened at $28.35 on Wednesday. Hecla Mining has a 1 year low of $4.46 and a 1 year high of $34.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 2.15. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $20.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.82. The company has a market cap of $19.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 91.46 and a beta of 1.28.

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

Hecla Mining Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th were 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 was Monday, November 24th. Hecla Mining’s payout ratio is 3.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hecla Mining

In other Hecla Mining news, VP David C. Sienko sold 207,553 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.42, for a total transaction of $4,030,679.26. Following the sale, the vice president owned 906,370 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,601,705.40. This represents a 18.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Kurt Allen sold 52,219 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.91, for a total value of $1,144,118.29. Following the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 426,679 shares of company stock valued at $7,678,773 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hecla Mining

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Hecla Mining by 13.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 71,349,059 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $863,324,000 after purchasing an additional 8,452,401 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in Hecla Mining by 32.4% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 49,881,495 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $603,566,000 after buying an additional 12,197,740 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 14.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,485,817 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $417,278,000 after acquiring an additional 4,453,706 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 38.0% in the 3rd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 23,524,912 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $284,651,000 after acquiring an additional 6,472,566 shares during the period. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 14.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 20,118,397 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $120,509,000 after acquiring an additional 2,574,855 shares during the period. 63.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Hecla Mining News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hecla Mining this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record silver prices (silver briefly topped $100/oz) are lifting sector valuation and provide a strong revenue tailwind for Hecla, supporting upside in the stock. Silver Just Hit $100. Time to Sell Hecla Mining?
• Positive Sentiment: Hecla agreed to sell the Casa Berardi operation for up to $593 million — a material cash inflow that management says will strengthen the balance sheet and refocus the company on its core silver assets. This is structurally positive for leverage and re‑investment flexibility. Hecla Mining Company Announces Sale of Casa Berardi for up to $593 Million
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity: traders bought ~103,115 call contracts (about +145% vs. average), signaling speculative bullish positioning that could fuel short‑term upside if the story continues. Investors Purchase High Volume of Hecla Mining Call Options (NYSE:HL)
• Neutral Sentiment: Management held an Investor Day and released full transcripts and M&A call transcripts — useful for tactical investors seeking detail on strategy, cost plans and M&A priorities but not immediate catalysts on their own. Hecla Mining Company (HL) Analyst/Investor Day Transcript Hecla Mining Company (HL) M&A Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading was briefly halted for HL pending news — a procedural reaction to the Casa Berardi announcement that increased intraday volatility but does not change fundamentals by itself.
• Negative Sentiment: Hecla issued 2026 production guidance that calls for lower silver output next year, which raises near‑term growth concerns and likely contributed to profit‑taking despite higher metal prices. Hecla Announces Full Year Production and 2026 Guidance

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $36.50 price objective on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Tuesday. Roth Mkm reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $16.00 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Tuesday. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $26.50 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Hecla Mining from $16.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hecla Mining from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.06.

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.