Profund Advisors LLC Buys 45,996 Shares of Hecla Mining Company $HL

Profund Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) by 72.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 109,734 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 45,996 shares during the period. Profund Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hecla Mining were worth $1,328,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 3rd quarter worth $131,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Hecla Mining by 83.8% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 5,190 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 2,367 shares in the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Hecla Mining by 144.6% in the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 416,781 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,043,000 after acquiring an additional 246,419 shares in the last quarter. Old West Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Hecla Mining during the third quarter worth $690,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Hecla Mining during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $355,000. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Kurt Allen sold 52,219 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 216,641 shares in the company, valued at $4,746,604.31. This trade represents a 19.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP David C. Sienko sold 207,553 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.42, for a total transaction of $4,030,679.26. Following the sale, the vice president 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. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hecla Mining Stock Down 4.1%

NYSE:HL opened at $22.96 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $22.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.05. Hecla Mining Company has a 1-year low of $4.46 and a 1-year high of $34.17. The company has a market capitalization of $15.39 billion, a PE ratio of 74.06 and a beta of 1.25.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Roth Mkm restated a “sell” rating and issued a $16.00 target price on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Hecla Mining from $15.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Zacks Research raised Hecla Mining from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen raised Hecla Mining from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Hecla Mining from $16.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.00.

Hecla Mining Profile

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.