Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Short Interest Update

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 17,560,000 shares, a growth of 10.8% from the September 15th total of 15,850,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 9,990,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

Shares of HL stock traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $6.81. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,381,069 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,733,705. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.29. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $6.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.67. Hecla Mining has a 1-year low of $3.33 and a 1-year high of $7.40. The company has a market cap of $4.27 billion, a P/E ratio of -45.20 and a beta of 2.01.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.01 by $0.01. Hecla Mining had a negative return on equity of 0.42% and a negative net margin of 5.56%. The company had revenue of $245.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $208.80 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.03 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Hecla Mining will post 0.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Hecla Mining Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were given a $0.0138 dividend. This is an increase from Hecla Mining’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.00. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. Hecla Mining’s payout ratio is presently -33.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on HL shares. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $10.25 price target on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Thursday, August 8th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Hecla Mining from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Roth Mkm dropped their target price on shares of Hecla Mining from $6.25 to $6.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $7.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hecla Mining news, VP Kurt Allen sold 108,612 shares of Hecla Mining stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.77, for a total transaction of $735,303.24. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 173,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,175,949. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hecla Mining

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HL. Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 313.6% during the 2nd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 6,551 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 4,967 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new position in Hecla Mining during the third quarter worth $49,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Hecla Mining in the second quarter valued at about $41,000. Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the 2nd quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Oak Family Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hecla Mining during the second quarter worth $55,000. Institutional investors own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

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.