Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Position Raised by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 61,393,040 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 774,000 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.77% of Hecla Mining worth $301,440,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 771.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,013 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 4,438 shares in the last quarter. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Hecla Mining during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 30.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,351 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 1,961 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on HL shares. TD Securities lowered shares of Hecla Mining from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $6.50 to $5.50 in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $11.50 price objective on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Friday, February 14th. National Bank Financial upgraded Hecla Mining to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Roth Mkm lowered their target price on Hecla Mining from $6.60 to $6.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Hecla Mining from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $7.75.

Hecla Mining Stock Down 12.1 %

Shares of Hecla Mining stock opened at $4.71 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Hecla Mining has a 12-month low of $4.41 and a 12-month high of $7.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a PE ratio of 94.12 and a beta of 1.77. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $5.60 and its 200-day moving average is $5.81.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.05 by ($0.01). Hecla Mining had a return on equity of 3.10% and a net margin of 3.85%. The company had revenue of $249.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $229.21 million. Equities analysts anticipate that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Hecla Mining Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.0038 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.32%. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio is 20.00%.

Insider Activity at Hecla Mining

In related news, CEO Robert Krcmarov acquired 6,570 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $5.29 per share, with a total value of $34,755.30. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 331,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,755,518.24. The trade was a 2.02 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Kurt Allen sold 9,195 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.18, for a total value of $47,630.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 104,512 shares in the company, valued at $541,372.16. The trade was a 8.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 57,915 shares of company stock valued at $300,000. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.