Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Shares Gap Up Following Dividend Announcement

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Monday after the company announced a dividend. The stock had previously closed at $4.54, but opened at $4.78. Hecla Mining shares last traded at $4.53, with a volume of 9,007,881 shares traded.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.0038 dividend. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.30%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HL shares. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $5.50 price objective (down previously from $7.50) on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hecla Mining from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 17th. National Bank Financial upgraded shares of Hecla Mining to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $11.50 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, TD Securities cut their price target on Hecla Mining from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $7.20.

Hecla Mining Stock Up 3.0 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.61. The company has a market capitalization of $3.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 98.72 and a beta of 1.57.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by ($0.01). Hecla Mining had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 3.10%. The company had revenue of $261.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $238.50 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.01) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 37.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hecla Mining

In related news, CFO Russell Douglas Lawlar sold 16,333 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 $84,604.94. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 297,983 shares in the company, valued at $1,543,551.94. This trade represents a 5.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert Krcmarov acquired 6,570 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $5.29 per share, for a total transaction of $34,755.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 331,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,755,518.24. This trade represents a 2.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 57,915 shares of company stock worth $300,000 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hecla Mining

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Hecla Mining by 771.8% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Hecla Mining by 30.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,351 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,961 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

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.