Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Short Interest Up 49.3% in February

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 23,960,000 shares, an increase of 49.3% from the February 13th total of 16,050,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 16,410,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days. Approximately 3.8% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insider Transactions at Hecla Mining

In other Hecla Mining news, CFO Russell Douglas Lawlar sold 16,333 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.18, for a total value of $84,604.94. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 297,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,543,551.94. This trade represents a 5.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert Krcmarov purchased 6,570 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were bought at an average price of $5.29 per share, with a total value of $34,755.30. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 331,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,755,518.24. The trade was a 2.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 57,915 shares of company stock worth $300,000. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HL. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co acquired a new position in Hecla Mining in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,451,000. Comprehensive Money Management Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter worth about $227,000. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $144,000. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 148.8% during the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 24,940 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $122,000 after buying an additional 14,915 shares during the period. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Allianz Polska S.A. acquired a new stake in Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter worth approximately $404,000. 63.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

NYSE HL traded up $0.15 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $5.89. The stock had a trading volume of 16,899,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,743,412. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $5.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5.84. The company has a market cap of $3.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 117.72 and a beta of 1.94. Hecla Mining has a 52-week low of $4.04 and a 52-week high of $7.68. 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 (NYSE:HL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.05 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $249.66 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $229.21 million. Hecla Mining had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 3.10%. Equities analysts forecast that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.0038 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. Hecla Mining’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hecla Mining from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 17th. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $11.50 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Friday, February 14th. TD Securities lowered Hecla Mining from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $6.50 to $5.50 in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, February 18th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $7.75.

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.