Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Trading Up 6.7% – Here’s What Happened

Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) shares shot up 6.7% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $23.21 and last traded at $22.74. 18,983,052 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 36% from the average session volume of 29,686,590 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.31.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Scotiabank upped their target price on Hecla Mining from $15.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $16.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $26.50 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “sell” rating and issued a $16.00 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.00.

Hecla Mining Stock Up 6.7%

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’s 50 day moving average price is $21.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.75. The company has a market cap of $15.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 73.35 and a beta of 1.25.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last issued its 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 analyst estimates of $315.60 million. Hecla Mining had a net margin of 16.35% and a return on equity of 7.87%. Hecla Mining’s revenue was up 67.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.03 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hecla Mining Company will post 0.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Hecla Mining

In other news, VP Kurt Allen sold 52,219 shares of the firm’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 in the company, valued at $4,746,604.31. This trade represents a 19.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Russell Douglas Lawlar sold 148,372 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $2,225,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 347,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,211,030. The trade was a 29.93% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 426,679 shares of company stock valued at $7,678,773 in the last 90 days. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hecla Mining

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Hecla Mining by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,905 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $209,000 after buying an additional 905 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter worth about $295,000. FourThought Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter worth about $1,167,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 23.9% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 5,261 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $101,000 after acquiring an additional 1,014 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG bought a new position in Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,469,000. Institutional investors 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.