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

Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $24.49 and last traded at $24.4360, with a volume of 5324962 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.45.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on HL. HC Wainwright increased their target price on shares of Hecla Mining from $12.50 to $16.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $15.00 price objective for the company. Roth Capital set a $8.75 price objective on Hecla Mining and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. CIBC lifted their target price on Hecla Mining from $15.00 to $16.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Hecla Mining from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.22.

Hecla Mining Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock has a market cap of $16.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 79.18 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $17.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.01.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $409.54 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $315.60 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.03 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 67.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Hecla Mining Company will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th were issued a $0.0038 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. Hecla Mining’s payout ratio is presently 3.23%.

Insider Transactions at Hecla Mining

In other news, VP Kurt Allen sold 52,219 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.91, for a total transaction of $1,144,118.29. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 216,641 shares in the company, valued at $4,746,604.31. This represents a 19.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP David C. Sienko sold 207,553 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,601,705.40. This represents a 18.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 426,679 shares of company stock worth $7,678,773 over the last 90 days. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hecla Mining

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Hecla Mining by 20.9% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,285,345 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $23,827,000 after purchasing an additional 739,360 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in Hecla Mining by 24.1% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,959,276 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,894,000 after purchasing an additional 380,448 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Hecla Mining in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $188,000. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. acquired a new position in Hecla Mining during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $162,000. Finally, Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased its position in Hecla Mining by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 39,402 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $236,000 after purchasing an additional 2,368 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.