Erste Asset Management GmbH Sells 25,000 Shares of Hecla Mining Company $HL

Erste Asset Management GmbH lessened its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) by 38.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 40,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 25,000 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Hecla Mining were worth $476,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Hecla Mining by 20.9% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,285,345 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $23,827,000 after buying an additional 739,360 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in Hecla Mining by 24.1% during the 1st 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 during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Hecla Mining during the 2nd quarter valued at about $757,000. Finally, TIAA Trust National Association lifted its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 176.4% in the 2nd quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 41,519 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $249,000 after buying an additional 26,499 shares during the period. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on HL. Zacks Research cut shares of Hecla Mining from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Roth Mkm set a $13.00 price objective on Hecla Mining in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $26.50 price target on Hecla Mining in a report on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $16.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $15.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hecla Mining has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.63.

Hecla Mining Stock Performance

NYSE HL opened at $24.90 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $23.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.56. Hecla Mining Company has a 12-month low of $4.46 and a 12-month high of $34.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.82 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

Hecla Mining Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.0038 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. Hecla Mining’s payout ratio is 2.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hecla Mining

In other 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 transaction of $4,030,679.26. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 906,370 shares in the company, valued at $17,601,705.40. This trade represents a 18.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Kurt Allen sold 52,219 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president owned 216,641 shares in the company, valued at $4,746,604.31. This represents a 19.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hecla Mining Profile

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.