Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) COO Rodriguez Carlos Robert Aguiar Sells 5,170 Shares of Stock

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) COO Rodriguez Carlos Robert Aguiar sold 5,170 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.18, for a total value of $26,780.60. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 137,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $710,582.04. This trade represents a 3.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Hecla Mining Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:HL opened at $5.23 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.55. Hecla Mining has a 1 year low of $3.41 and a 1 year high of $7.68. The company has a market cap of $3.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 104.52 and a beta of 1.91. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $5.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.87.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last posted its earnings results 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 net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 3.10%. The company had revenue of $249.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $229.21 million. Sell-side analysts expect that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Hecla Mining Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.0038 dividend. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.29%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Hecla Mining from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 17th. Roth Mkm reduced their target price on Hecla Mining from $6.60 to $6.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. TD Securities reduced their target price on Hecla Mining from $7.00 to $6.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $11.50 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, National Bank Financial lowered shares of Hecla Mining from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $8.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hecla Mining

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Forum Financial Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Hecla Mining by 148.8% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 24,940 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $122,000 after acquiring an additional 14,915 shares during the period. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Allianz Polska S.A. purchased a new position in Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter valued at $404,000. CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Hecla Mining during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new position in Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,547,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in Hecla Mining by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,578,828 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $7,752,000 after purchasing an additional 127,756 shares in the last quarter. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.