Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Trading Up 8.3% – Should You Buy?

Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL)’s share price shot up 8.3% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $22.87 and last traded at $22.6140. 17,067,601 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 40% from the average session volume of 28,219,764 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.89.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hecla Mining from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $16.00 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $26.50 price objective on Hecla Mining in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hecla Mining from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.00.

Hecla Mining Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.15. The company has a market capitalization of $15.15 billion, a PE ratio of 72.95 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Insider Activity

In other Hecla Mining news, VP David C. Sienko sold 207,553 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.42, for a total value 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 trade represents a 18.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Kurt Allen sold 52,219 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hecla Mining

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 6,219,902 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $75,261,000 after acquiring an additional 103,009 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 3rd quarter worth $1,150,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Hecla Mining during the third quarter worth $2,483,000. Berman McAleer LLC acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $593,000. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,256,000. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.