Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Shares Up 7.1%

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL)’s share price rose 7.1% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $4.82 and last traded at $4.81. Approximately 5,543,127 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 13% from the average daily volume of 6,394,384 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.49.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, National Bank Financial reissued an “outperform market weight” rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hecla Mining has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $6.45.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $3.01 billion, a PE ratio of -32.00 and a beta of 2.16. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $3.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $4.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.65.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The basic materials company reported ($0.04) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $160.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $151.51 million. Hecla Mining had a negative return on equity of 0.27% and a negative net margin of 11.69%. Hecla Mining’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.02 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hecla Mining will post 0.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $0.006 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 11th. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.50%. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -20.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hecla Mining

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in Hecla Mining by 107.9% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,637 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 3,963 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in Hecla Mining by 104.3% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 9,659 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 4,932 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 2nd quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. 63.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Hecla Mining

Hecla Mining Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides precious and base metal properties in the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, and China. The company mines for silver, gold, lead, and zinc concentrates, as well as carbon material containing silver and gold for custom smelters, metal traders, and third-party processors; and doré containing silver and gold.