Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Sells 580,081 Shares of Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lessened its stake in shares of Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) by 5.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 9,332,816 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 580,081 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. owned approximately 1.51% of Hecla Mining worth $44,891,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in Hecla Mining by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 60,513,592 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $291,070,000 after buying an additional 3,827,580 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the fourth quarter worth $13,761,000. CoreCommodity Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 1,763.7% in the fourth quarter. CoreCommodity Management LLC now owns 1,029,906 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,954,000 after purchasing an additional 974,645 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Hecla Mining by 0.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,567,847 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $225,090,000 after purchasing an additional 487,299 shares during the period. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in Hecla Mining by 29.4% during the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,155,943 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,520,000 after purchasing an additional 262,705 shares during the last quarter. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Robert Denis Brown sold 24,792 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.91, for a total value of $121,728.72. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 607,649 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,983,556.59. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CAO Michael L. Clary sold 30,634 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.91, for a total value of $150,412.94. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 351,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,728,182.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Robert Denis Brown sold 24,792 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.91, for a total transaction of $121,728.72. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 607,649 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,983,556.59. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 67,105 shares of company stock worth $329,486. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hecla Mining Stock Performance

Shares of HL stock traded up $0.04 on Friday, reaching $5.22. 7,428,656 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,674,893. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The company has a 50-day moving average of $5.33 and a 200-day moving average of $4.71. Hecla Mining has a one year low of $3.33 and a one year high of $6.29.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.03. The business had revenue of $189.53 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $190.31 million. Hecla Mining had a negative return on equity of 0.28% and a negative net margin of 12.22%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Hecla Mining will post 0.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 24th were paid a dividend of $0.006 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -20.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on HL shares. StockNews.com upgraded Hecla Mining to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $10.25 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. CIBC raised their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $6.75 to $7.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Cibc World Mkts raised shares of Hecla Mining to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Hecla Mining to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $6.89.

Hecla Mining Company Profile

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.