Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Reaches New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $28.20 and last traded at $27.4120, with a volume of 7787199 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $26.54.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HL has been the topic of several recent research reports. HC Wainwright lifted their price target on Hecla Mining from $12.50 to $16.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Hecla Mining from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Scotiabank started coverage on Hecla Mining in a report on Thursday, November 13th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $15.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hecla Mining from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, November 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.22.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

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 stock has a market capitalization of $18.05 billion, a PE ratio of 86.76 and a beta of 1.28. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $18.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.82.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $409.54 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.60 million. Hecla Mining had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 16.35%.Hecla Mining’s revenue was up 67.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.03 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Hecla Mining Company will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Hecla Mining Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th were given a $0.0038 dividend. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend 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 Activity at Hecla Mining

In related news, VP David C. Sienko sold 207,553 shares of Hecla Mining 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 906,370 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,601,705.40. The trade was a 18.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through 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 transaction, the vice president owned 216,641 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,746,604.31. The trade was a 19.42% 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 ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Hecla Mining by 2,390.0% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 2,390 shares in the last quarter. MAI Capital Management acquired a new position in Hecla Mining during the third quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in Hecla Mining during the third quarter worth about $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.