Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) Short Interest Update

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 21,110,000 shares, an increase of 15.2% from the March 31st total of 18,330,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 7,710,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days.

Hecla Mining Price Performance

Shares of HL traded down $0.11 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $5.00. The stock had a trading volume of 10,055,082 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,585,783. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.65. Hecla Mining has a 12 month low of $3.33 and a 12 month high of $6.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion, a PE ratio of -33.33 and a beta of 2.20. The company’s 50-day moving average is $4.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.41.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The basic materials company reported ($0.04) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by ($0.02). Hecla Mining had a negative net margin of 11.69% and a negative return on equity of 0.27%. The firm had revenue of $160.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $151.51 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.02 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Hecla Mining will post 0.02 EPS for the current year.

Hecla Mining Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 12th were given a $0.006 dividend. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 11th. Hecla Mining’s payout ratio is currently -20.00%.

Institutional Trading of Hecla Mining

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HL. Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Hecla Mining in the first quarter worth $34,000. Advisor Partners II LLC bought a new position in Hecla Mining during the third quarter valued at about $52,000. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Hecla Mining during the fourth quarter valued at about $72,000. Banco Santander S.A. increased its holdings in Hecla Mining by 15.6% during the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 18,687 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 2,525 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH bought a new stake in Hecla Mining in the third quarter worth about $76,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on HL. StockNews.com raised shares of Hecla Mining to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Roth Mkm increased their price target on Hecla Mining from $4.60 to $6.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, National Bank Financial restated an “outperform market weight” rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Monday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hecla Mining has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $6.68.

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.