Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Stock Price Down 1.4% – Should You Sell?

Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) shares dropped 1.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $21.77 and last traded at $23.12. Approximately 25,678,446 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 16% from the average daily volume of 30,495,973 shares. The stock had previously closed at $23.44.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HL has been the subject of several research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $26.50 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. CIBC lifted their price objective on shares of Hecla Mining from $27.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $16.00 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Hecla Mining from $15.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.00.

Hecla Mining Trading Down 1.4%

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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $21.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.47. The firm has a market cap of $15.49 billion, a PE ratio of 74.58 and a beta of 1.25.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $409.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.60 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.03 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 67.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Hecla Mining Company will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP David C. Sienko sold 207,553 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 906,370 shares in the company, valued at $17,601,705.40. The trade was a 18.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Russell Douglas Lawlar sold 18,535 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.02, for a total value of $278,395.70. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 426,679 shares of company stock valued at $7,678,773 in the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hecla Mining

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in Hecla Mining in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in Hecla Mining in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Hecla Mining by 2,390.0% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 2,390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Hecla Mining by 255.6% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,156 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 4,425 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

Hecla Mining Company 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.